This October, we present extraordinary work by artists Sonia Boué and Ashokkumar D Mistry.
Titled Las Gemelas: Arrival (a lexicon of unmaking), the exhibition explores the arrival of almost 4,000 Basque child refugees that docked in Southampton on 23rd May 1937 upon the SS Habana, as a consequence of the Spanish Civil War. The children were subsequently billeted in colonies throughout the UK until it was deemed safe to return, though this was uncertain. Over two hundred Basque children settled permanently and lived out their adult lives on these shores.
The Special Collections at the University of Southampton now holds archives relating to this event. The archives represent material memory and can be experienced as a family collection –– a deeply personal account of history, while also being a communal record. Las Gemelas (The Twins), the creative duo Sonia Boué and Ashokkumar D Mistry, have different relations to these archives: Boué’s father was himself a political exile from the Spanish Civil War, while Mistry’s family fled the tumult of the waning days of Empire. Sharing a heritage of forced migration, their collaboration has produced a series of contrasting parallel responses.
To mark this extraordinary event, Ashokkumar D Mistry is asking for donations of wooden tables that will be used in a performance to build on the sculpture A Banquet of Tables (For a Feast for Los Niños) (2024) that will feature in the exhibition. Crowd-sourced, each table will be meticulously drilled with holes to enable the tables to be ‘sewn’ together. Once unified, the tables will be transformed into musical instruments, where local residents will assemble to ‘sew’ the tables together using rope and invited to ‘play’ the tables in the Txalapatra tradition—a Basque xylophone-inspired musical style.
The tables collaboratively form a continuous banquet, serving as a metaphor for the community’s collective effort to support children in need during 1937. The artwork highlights how culture and values are sewn together to build a cohesive community. Rooted in the Hindu/Sikh principle of seva, or selfless service, this sculpture celebrates everyday innovation and the spirit of togetherness.
To donate your table, contact [email protected] or call JHG on 023 8059 2158.
Ashokkumar D Mistry also invites individuals from Southampton to take part in a performance that will build on existing artwork featured in the exhibition. The sculpture A Banquet of Tables (For a Feast for Los Niños) is constructed of several tables ‘sewn’ together with rope. The artist invites local residents to take part in a communal performance that extends the sculpture by sewing additional tables crowd-sourced from the local area. Their stitching, once unified transforms the tables into musical instruments, played in the Txalapatra tradition—a Basque xylophone-inspired musical style.
John Hansard Gallery is seeking Expressions of Interest from local people to take part in enacting A Banquet of Tables (For a Feast for Los Niños). It will involve 7.5 hours of your time and take place on the following dates and times:
Thursday 17 October: 3 hour introduction and first workshop with Ashok Mistry (1–4pm)
Thursday 24 October: 3 hour second workshop with Ashok Mistry (1–4pm)
Saturday 9 November: 1 hour public performance (3–4pm / arrival at 2.30pm)
This is a paid opportunity with an honorarium of per participant £150 plus travel expenses. Suitable for people aged 18+ and no prior experience necessary.
It would be very useful to us to know why you would like to take part, so please write a brief description, including your name and contact details, and send to [email protected] by Monday 14 October.