Beginning 3 October, Tape Letters Scotland, is set to launch a series of new audio-visual exhibitions in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee, shining a light on the use of audio cassette as a mode of long-distance communication by the Pakistani diaspora in Scotland between 1960–1980.
Drawing directly from both first-hand interviews carried out by the project team and the informal, intimate conversations recorded on cassettes themselves, the exhibitions showcase the experiences of members of Scotland’s Pakistani communities, exploring the topics of migration, identity, communication and language.
A pre-cursor to the modern-day voice-note, sending physical audio cassette recordings became popular amongst British-Pakistani communities in the 1960s, as a means of communicating with friends and relatives in Pakistan. The format offered a cheaper alternative to international telephone calls, whilst also providing a more accessible option for those unable to read or write letters.
However, the practice has since remained largely unknown to many, even within British-Pakistani communities, with many original tapes lost or later recorded over.
First launched in 2018, Tape Letters is a pioneering project by Modus Arts, which aims to unearth, archive, and represent a portrait of this method of communication for communities during this period. A time when the telephone was communal, the tapes left room for intimacy in messages to loved ones.
The exhibition also highlights the prominence of liberated female voices. It enabled the speaker to convey humour or capture disbelief, sing songs or speak poems aloud.
Glasgow resident Assia Ali held these ‘prized possessions’ close as did Izaz Ur Rahman from Edinburgh who treasured the immediacy of this form of communication as it felt like his family were there in the room with him. Jamila Bibi exclaimed she had a reply from her parents in as little as a week in some cases.
The project began with Modus Arts Director, Wajid Yaseen, discovering his own family’s history of sending personalised cassette tapes to relatives.
It uncovered a wide-spread history of the practice across British-Pakistani families in England and more recently Scotland.
This Autumn, the Scotland-wide edition of the project, Tape Letters Scotland, which launched in 2022, is hosting a series of three exhibitions at the Museum of Edinburgh, Tramway, Glasgow, and Dundee Central Library.
The cumulation of two years of work, the exhibitions will showcase the stories and experiences from 20 cassette tapes, and 80 oral histories, gathered from individuals and families living across Scotland’s central belt.
On 8 October, the National Library of Scotland will host a special public talk featuring Wajid Yaseen and Tape Letters Scotland Project Coordinator, Syma Ahmed, where audiences will be invited to hear first-hand from the project team about their work, and the importance of archiving and preserving migrant stories for present and future generations.
Serving to both broaden access to the project, and preserve these unique historical accounts, Tape Letters Scotland is set to launch a WebXR-based digital exhibition and specialised App this October, followed by a Podcast series later this year.
Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Val Walker said: “How fortunate we are to have Tape Letters at Museum of Edinburgh this winter.
“We live in such modern times, where everyone is an instant call away no matter where they are in the world. You can only imagine the excitement felt when a tape would arrive from family members, loved ones and friends and their voice and stories would be heard through the speakers.
“Tape Letters is a touching exhibition that can be appreciated by all members of our diverse community. I encourage everyone to take the time to visit, listen and reflect.”
Wajid Yaseen, Director of Modus Arts, said: “The Tape Letters project has turned out to be far more fruitful than I could have envisaged, and analysing the archive has felt akin to undertaking a sort of ‘sonic archaeology’ – a deep dive into a wide range of fields and themes, including memory studies, linguistics, migration, discrimination, communication technologies, class and socio-economic dynamics, and many others.
“Although it has become a surprisingly complex social history project, it primarily demonstrates the deep and inherent need for people to communicate with each other in whatever way they can, wherever they’re originally from or wherever they find themselves in the world.”
Faria Khan, from Glasgow, who contributed to the archive, said: “Dad used to turn the cassette player on and test it and, you know, he’d bang on the mic saying “testing, testing”.
“It was just such an exciting thing preparing to record something! Like, what are we doing here? He’d then explain to us that it was a message for the family back home in Pakistan.”
Aqsa Mohammed, from Glasgow, also part of the exhibition, said: “My mum would listen to the tapes and tears would fall – she was always crying.
“Even when recording she would be crying. I’d get excited though. “Haan tape aayi!” [Alright! a tape has arrived!] It felt like a different feeling for us – a very emotional time. Emotional for her. Excitement for us.”
Tape Letters Scotland Exhibition
Tape Letters is a social history project which shines light on the practice of recording and sending messages on cassette tape, as an unorthodox method of communication by Pakistanis who migrated and settled in the UK between 1960-1980.
Drawing directly both from first-hand interviews and from the informal and intimate conversations on the cassettes themselves, this exhibition platforms the experiences of members of Scotland’s Pakistani community. It explores topics of migration, identity, communication and language.
Tramway, Glasgow
This exhibition platforms the experiences of members of Glasgow’s Pakistani community
12th Oct 2024 – 31st Jan 2025
For more information visit https://www.tramway.org/event/eba60b68-d275-467d-b72b-b1e30089d53d#:~:text=Tape%20Letters%20Scotland%20is%20a,UK%20between%201960%20and%201980
Museum of Edinburgh
This exhibition platforms the experiences of members of Edinburgh’s Pakistani community
Thu 3 Oct 2024 to Sun 23 Feb 2025
For more information visit https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/whats-on/tape-letters
Dundee Central Library
This exhibition platforms the experiences of members of Scotland’s Pakistani community
22 Oct 2024 – 31 Dec 2024
For more information visit https://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/events/event/33319
