The Invisible World is a sequence of exhibitions presenting the creative work of four women from the Somali Speakers Women’s Group at Bemerton Estate in Islington, London. Each panel represents a particular personal narrative and uses a material which evokes a particular life story. The project explores the power of the sense of touch in relation to materials and how this can stimulate memory. 

The project was undertaken in three phases. In the first, through a series of workshops with children in Bulgaria, different materials were tested and selected for their evocative qualities.

In the second phase, in collaboration with the Somali Speakers Women’s Group, materials were blind-tested to find out which were the most evocative for these women. In a group workshop, each woman was then asked to reproduce her story on an individual panel using a material she had selected in the blind-testing sessions.

Finally, exhibitions were staged at Bemerton Art Studio, at the Portable Islington Library and at the Somali Speakers Women’s Group at Bemerton Community Hall. The exhibitions targeted two main audiences: locals and Somali residents. Visitors were asked to touch the pieces blindfolded and describe what the sensations evoked for them.