Zong massacre recalled in powerful Walker Art Gallery installation

A powerful and thought-provoking memorial to the victims of the Zong Massacre, in which more than 130 enslaved African people were murdered, has gone on display at the Walker Art Gallery.

British-Trinidadian artist Karen McLean has created Stitching Souls: Threads of Silence through an artist residency at the gallery as part of the 20/20 Project – a national commissioning and network programme investing in the careers of global majority and diverse artists, and led by University of the Arts London (UAL) Decolonising Arts Institute.

The installation features 132 heads crafted using traditional quilting techniques and from African fabrics such as Aso-Oke, Kente and mud cloth, highlighting direct links to cotton produced by enslaved people and revealing slavery's economic and human toll.

The Zong, a former Dutch slaving vessel seized as a prize during the Anglo-Dutch War, was owned by a Liverpool syndicate made up of William, John and James Gregson, Edward Wilson and James Aspinall, and captained by Luke Collingwood.

It set off from the Mersey in March 1781 bound for the Gold Coast where 440 enslaved African people were forced on board – twice the number the ship could properly accommodate and support - and set off in early September across the Atlantic for Jamaica.

Collingwood fell ill and serious navigational errors, along with failing to take on enough drinking water for the numbers on board, meant that the crossing took far longer than anticipated.

Dozens of African captives, and several crew, had already died in the appalling conditions on board when in late November, with what was later claimed to be just four days’ water remaining, the decision was taken to throw enslaved Africans overboard to save the remainder of the Zong’s human ‘cargo’ - and offset the syndicate’s losses by claiming on their insurance.

It’s thought that over the course of several days, at least 132 people – including 54 women and children – were murdered in this way. Their names and identities remain unknown.

Above and top: Stitching Souls; Threads of Silence at the Walker Art Gallery

One person is believed to have survived the 1781 massacre at sea, and an additional head is included in the installation at the Walker, representing the resistance and strength of all enslaved people. 

In her artistic practice, McLean researches and interrogates legacies of colonialism, and here she explores Liverpool's role as a major participant in the transatlantic trade in enslaved African people during the 18th and early 19th century.

In addition to the 132 heads, the installation features two replicas of the Walker's merchant portrait collection.

The artist says: “The gallery’s collection consists of grand formal portraits of Liverpool's aristocrats showcasing their wealth and power – I’ve responded by creating a work that will transform abstract historical data into a tangible narrative that will redress historical erasure and silence.   

“My sculptures interrogate the representation of the city's wealthy merchants and their obscured histories of exploitation and the suffering to which they contributed.

“Stitching Souls aims to engage viewers in a thought-provoking exploration of the incomplete narrative, power and inequality. Through the act of stitching, I hope to contribute to healing and a deeper exploration of these histories."

Stitching Souls: Threads of Silence is on show at the Walker Art Gallery until March 2 2025.