I created ghostly portraits using the torn pieces of lace and faded photographs carried out of Germany by my Granny and her sisters when they fled the Nazis. They were always sewing, even before” Kaiser Bill” led the Germans into World War One.

My grandmother had longed to become a doctor, like her brother, to rip up her sewing, to rip open her corsets and to become herself.

My book illustrates the process of creating the Burnt Histories installation through words and images. I describe using heat distressed textiles, assembling collage, printing and photo-montage. My ancestors are also brought to life on the page as I describe their experiences as immigrants.

I, too, am the daughter of refugees.