HMS Unicorn to host Ukrainian community exhibition exploring stories of displacement

A powerful new community exhibition exploring the personal stories of people displaced from their homes will open aboard HMS Unicorn in Dundee later this month.

Titled What We Carry, the exhibition has been created in collaboration with members of the Ukrainian community living in Scotland. It brings together personal objects, photographs and reflections that reveal the memories and emotions people carry with them when they are forced to leave their homeland.

The exhibition was developed through a series of workshops involving participants from Ukrainians Together. Working alongside museum staff, contributors helped shape the exhibition while learning elements of museum practice, including object care, interpretation and exhibition installation.

Through everyday items and personal stories, What We Carry invites visitors to consider the emotional and cultural weight that displacement can bring. Beyond the physical belongings that travel across borders, the exhibition highlights the traditions, memories and hopes that people continue to carry with them.

By placing personal narratives at its centre, the exhibition aims to create a space for dialogue and empathy. Visitors will be encouraged to reflect on the human experience of migration and the importance of belonging through the voices of those who have lived through it.

The project also reflects HMS Unicorn’s wider commitment to working closely with communities to tell stories that matter today. By connecting the historic ship with contemporary conversations around identity and migration, the exhibition demonstrates how heritage spaces can help people understand each other’s experiences.

What We Carry will open at HMS Unicorn on 27 March and run until July 2026, with entry included as part of the museum’s standard admission.