In a collaborative arts project, the University of Wolverhampton and the Centre for Sikh and Punjabi Studies in West Midlands, aims to connect heritage with the modern world, through Phulakri art, which refers to the folk embroidery of the Punjab.
The University of Wolverhampton has secured funding from NHS BT, to continue raising awareness for an important cause, across the four major faith groups in the West Midlands regions.
The University’s School of Art and the Centre for Sikh and Panjabi Studies have secured almost £10,000 in funding to create awareness of organ donation among Sikhs, Hindus, Jain, and Buddhists.
Committed to building support for donations amongst Black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic communities, the NHS Blood and Transplant’s Community Investment Scheme, awards the funding.
With the guidance of NHS Clinical Teams and Donor/Recipient families, the University’s Centre for Sikh and Panjabi Studies and the School of Art academic researchers will commission artwork/digital media work that promotes Donation and Law Change whilst at the same time debunking ‘myths.
A particular design and pattern of boxed designs of artwork known as ‘Phulkari’ has been used, as a way of speaking to the Sikh community, which is the second largest Sikh community outside of West London, with 14 places of worship.
Dr Opinderjit Kaur Takhar MBE, Director of the University’s Centre for Sikh and Panjabi Studies and recently appointed President of Theology and Religious Studies UK said: “Awareness of organ donation is much needed across these sometimes hard to reach communities. Being based in Wolverhampton gives us the ideal location through which to make a real impact through the opportunity to engage with, not only the Sikh community but these additional faith groups.
“Having the expertise in understanding teachings, beliefs and ethics from different faiths, we will use these to highlight how these faiths support organ donation in an effort to overcome incorrect notions of organ donation being contradictory to religious beliefs.”
Following a national competitive call, graduate creative practitioners will be invited to submit concepts that will be shortlisted by the panel. Successful individuals will be professionally commissioned to work with the support of the project team to make their work.
Maggie Ayliffe, Head of the Wolverhampton School of Art, said: “We are delighted to be recipients of this further NHS Blood & Transplant, Community Investment Scheme funding. We are an organisation which is deeply embedded in the local area, and we have strong grassroots links to the community which we hope to engage throughout this project.
“This will be an important community-based art project. Our students and staff have worked on several projects that aim to raise awareness and stimulate conversation about organ donation in the past and we are very much looking forward to working with these different faith groups across the region, building on our work with the Sikh community recently, and creating some new artwork that will start conversations and create interest around the social benefits/gift of organ donation.”
For more information about the Community Investment Scheme please visit https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/cis/ or contact: community.funding@nhsbt.nhs.uk
