Seeking inspiration from Deptford’s dockyard history and the historic relationship the community has with the River Thames, Chila Kumari Singh Burman has created The Deptford Mermaid for Deptford X 2021. The work subverts the historic, often sexualised, symbolism of the mermaid and reclaims their use as a good luck charm, to help calm stormy waters.
Inspired by Chila’s time as a student in the 1970’s; her childhood growing up on the beach in Merseyside; and holidays visiting the Blackpool illuminations in which larger than life mermaids were often displayed, the work combines punk and pop aesthetics and references the bright colours, forms and intense patterns found in Hindu culture.
The Deptford Mermaid reclaims the mermaid as a feminist icon subverting the mermaid of popular culture, which serves as an idealistic and sensual representation of the female form. Chila’s mermaid is a powerful statement on the strength of female energy and the importance of disrupting patriarchal world views.