Standing In This Place
A sculpture and heritage project
Standing In This Place brings together art, history, ancestry and community to explore the connections between women whose lives were shaped by the transatlantic cotton industry.
Created by sculptor Rachel Carter in collaboration with the Legacy Makers, the project grew from research into the women who worked in the East Midlands textile industry and the enslaved women whose labour produced the cotton on which that industry depended.
The sculpture brings these connected histories together through research, collaboration and making.
© Lamar Francois - picturedbylamar.co.uk
The project continues
The sculpture was installed in early 2025, but the collaboration continues.
Friends of Standing In This Place has grown from the original project, bringing together people who are committed to sharing the histories, stories and connections uncovered through the research.
The group is dedicated to keeping these stories alive, encouraging further learning and exploring the connections between the people, places and histories represented by the sculpture.
This website preserves the story of the original project — its research, people, making, films and creative activity — while Friends of Standing In This Place provides a way for that work to continue.
The sculpture may now be standing in its permanent place, but the conversation continues.