Art exhibition being organised to mark the 400th anniversary since the Mayflower set sail

In 1620, colonists known as ‘the pilgrims’ left Plymouth on the ship and made their way to America. As this year marks the 400th anniversary of this important historical event, an exciting new project has been commissioned by the Migration Museum in London.

Artist and collector Dawn Parsonage is looking for people to be a part of this project called ‘Here and There’. It will explore the stories of those emigrating from the UK and, as her parents are from Weymouth and she spent many holidays in Dorset as a child, she wants Dorset residents to join the project.

She said: “It is such an honour to create this work for the Migration Museum. Emigrating is as much an emotional journey as a physical one, it forces us to ask fundamental questions of what we consider important and essential.

What does home mean? What do you leave behind and what do you take?

These questions are asked today just as they would have when the pilgrims embarked on the Mayflower 400 years ago. The project is inspired by countless historical images of emigrating people present throughout my photography archive. I found myself realising I was in a unique position of seeing these images of people on the brink of huge change, not yet knowing what they had in store. I lost myself in looking at their expressions and wondering what they thought about their decision after they have had time for reflection.”

A spokesman for the Migration Museum said: “Could exploring the stories of those who left Britain help us to better understand its history and the far-reaching impact it has had on the rest of the world?

“And, since emigration from one country is always an immigration into another, might a deeper understanding of emigration help us to better understand immigration?”

If you or anyone you know is emigrating from the UK at any point from now until the end of March you can contact Dawn via her website, www.dawnparsonage.com.