In collaboration with An Lanntair’s Purvai team, artist Arpita Shah has been researching the histories of South Asian families in the Outer Hebrides through the medium of tea!
The ritual of tea is truly both a Hebridean and Indian cultural practice so what better way to explore and share the stories of these journeys, discussing notions of home, identity, and memory, than over a Copan Chai!
The result is fully interactive and operational tea stall, which invites you to drink a copan masala chai and listen to the stories, journeys and memories of South Asian families that settled in Lewis and Harris.
Hebrideans be prepared – this Copan contains authentic masala Indian flavour!
Copan Chai was commissioned as Part of Scotland’s Year of History Heritage and Archaeology, engage audiences with the rich history that exists between India and Scotland, celebrating and exploring the South Asian cultural heritage that is an integral part of Scotland today.
2017 marked 70 years of the independence and the Partition of India, a historic event which triggered the largest mass migration of people in human history.
Arpita Shah is an India-born artist based in Scotland. She works between photography, sound and film to explore the issues of cultural displacement in the South Asian Diaspora.
Special thanks to all the families from Lewis and Harris that kindly contributed their stories and photographs to the project.
If you’d like to share your story, please contact us at: Catherine@anlanntair.com
