Art with marginalised communities

Abstract

In contrast to the dominant masculinised discourses on global cities, this project explores the feminised and private spheres of global cities—‘domestic work’ in London. Domestic work is of particular concern for London, given the concentration of domestic workers in the capital and the large numbers of migrants employed in the sector. In the polarised London labour market, migrant domestic workers are concentrated at the bottom end of the labour market and suffer from high levels of exploitation, but often face difficulties to articulate their social and political will and to intervene in public forums. Our participatory video project with 12 migrant domestic workers from The Voice of Domestic Workers, a grassroots campaigning and advocacy organisation in London, suggests that participatory art can play a significant role in supporting the voice of marginalised communities. It reveals the power of art as a voice of dissent and as a tool for advancing social justice. Our project also highlights the importance of shifting the attention from the object of art and art as end product, to the subject of art and art as a social process in which social relationships may be restructured, in order to better understand the potential role of art in helping oppressed groups to achieve social changes. The latter approach implies a stronger sense of agency regarding the ability of marginalised communities to participate directly in structural changes.

• migrant domestic workers
• domestic work
• global cities
• London
• participatory art
• marginalised communities

Acknowledgements

This participatory video project would have been impossible without migrant domestic workers taking time out of their busy work and life to share their migrant stories and life experiences in the UK. We would like to thank all migrant domestic workers who were involved in this participatory video project and the organisational support from The Voice of Domestic Workers. We are very grateful to Unite the Union and Cubitt gallery which offered free venues for our video workshops. We also wish to say thank you to L’etrangere, Stephen Lawrence gallery, Cubitt Gallery, Norman Rea Gallery and People's History Museum who have kindly hosted our exhibitions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Project website: https://myhomeisnot⁣myhome.wordpress.com

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Zhe Jiang

Zhe Jiang (Joyce Jiang) is a Lecturer in Human Resource Management and Sociology of Work at The York Management School, University of York, UK. She is also a trustee of a charity organisation—The Voice of Domestic Workers in London. Her research areas include migration and globalisation, social movement, politicised art, as well as art-based research methods. Her research takes an ethnographic approach that involves the use of photography and video. She is on the editorial board of the journal Work, Employment and Society. The York Management School, University of York, UK. Email: [email protected]

Tassia Kobylinska

Tassia Kobylinska is a Lecturer in Digital Media Production at Goldsmiths, University of London, and a filmmaker who has produced and directed documentaries, public and charity sector films, international policy and human rights productions for a range of NGOs and INGOs globally. She has a particular interest in Nepal based projects. She also specialises in the processes and production of participatory, community and social action films. Email: [email protected]

The Voice of Domestic Workers is a London-based charity organisation protecting the rights of migrant domestic workers in the UK. It provides educational and community activities for domestic workers—including English lessons, drama and art classes, and employment advice, and provides support for domestic workers who exit from abusive employers. Website: https://www.thevoiceofdomesticworkers.com/. Email: [email protected]