AN award-winning Zimbabwean-Scottish visual artist has been chosen to create a tapestry for the University of Aberdeen.
Sekai Machache will work alongside Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh to make the ‘Aberdeen Tapestry’.
The project is backed by Jerwood Art Fund Commissions, a partnership aiming to support artists and produce contemporary works that reflect today’s society.
Machache, who is based in Glasgow, is known for works which challenge the sense of self, as well as using spirituality and dreaming to start conversations about the culture and identity of Black communities in Scotland.
The collaboration will see the artist and Dovecot work alongside teams from the university to study and take inspiration from its Collections, an archive of Scottish history, archaeology and sciences.
Dr Lisa Collinson, an academic and research lead of the University of Aberdeen Collections, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for the university to work with a contemporary artist with a growing reputation and to collaborate with the artists at the world-renowned Dovecot Studios.
“We look forward to Sekai exploring the university’s collections as well as thinking about the challenging legacies they embody.”
Visitors can watch the weaving process at Dovecot, with the final tapestry set to be unveiled at the Sir Duncan Rice Library at the University of Aberdeen in 2026.
Collinson also hopes that the displayed piece will inspire the institution’s future generations.
Machache’s work includes photography, ink drawings and live performance, whilst she is also a member of the Yon Afro Collective, a group that seeks to improve the lives of women of colour in Scotland.
Dovecut Studios was established in 1912 and is based on Infirmary Street in Edinburgh.
