Soft Power

In her first wallpaper design, Soft Power, Walker celebrates the presence of Caribbean heritage in Britain and features six portraits of first and second generation Windrush migrants based in Manchester surrounded by archival images of newly arrived Commonwealth citizens and blossoming foliage.

The sitters for this work were members of Manchester’s Jamaica Society and the wallpaper was made in partnership with Whitwoth in Manchester where Walker’s first survey exhibition, Being Here, was held in 2024.

The intricate pattern is a reinterpretation of traditional toile de Jouy design, inspired by Walker’s research into the Whitworth’s collection of textiles and wallpapers. Toile de Jouy are French printed cottons produced between 1760-1830. They typically depict pastoral romantic scenes and florals, reflecting the tastes of the middle and upper classes. Walker embellishes the traditional design with affirmative portraits of the Caribbean diaspora. For Walker, these individuals are rendered “visible, validated and centre-stage where they belong.”

With thanks to the Jamaica Society, Manchester including Ms Sonia Stewart, Chair, the Jamaica Society, Manchester; Mr E. W. Stennett MBE JP, Hon. Alderman of the Borough of Trafford; Mr Roy Walters BEM JP; Mr Sydney Edwards; Ms Margaret Salmon; and Mrs Joan Gumbs.

Proudly supported by the Getty Images Black History & Culture Collection, and printed by Anstey Wallpaper Company Ltd.