n 2023, LU Arts commissioned the artist Kedisha Coakley to design ‘No Place Like Heimat: Coat of Arms for the Diaspora’, a new work of stained glass for the primary training room in Rutland. Coakley’s design reconfigures the traditional structure of coats of arms and is populated with imagery inspired by conversations she held with Black, Brown and other global majority members of the University.
Key elements include African sculptures, afro combs and women at work. These have been produced through archival imagery, scanned textiles and collagraph printing, while its striking blue colour is a result of its cyanotype design process.
Stained glass has long been used to signal long-term institutional identity, and by including these elements the work offers a counterpoint to the 1930s windows across Rutland and Hazlerigg. While these depict students engaged in activities that remain central to the University today - undertaking engineering projects, playing rugby, producing ceramics - those depicted are all male and white, reflecting the composition of the College at the time. Several windows in the Hazlerigg Building also depict the coats of arms of former British protectorates and colonies.
The launch event included a talk from Kedisha who outlined the work’s inception, inspirations and process, focusing on the experiences and hopes of Black members of the University. She was joined by stained glass artist and founder of Cut Glass Studio Annahita Kessami, who helped realise Coakley’s vision, and the University’s EDI manager Denise Coles.
Following the event, Denise Coles said: "Kedisha Coakley’s stained-glass installation makes a bold and beautiful statement. Its presence reverberates across campus with power, resistance, and unapologetic visibility. It reminds us that art is not just decoration; it’s reflection! It holds up a mirror to our stories, our identities, and our lived experiences, inviting us to see ourselves and each other more clearly and recognise that all our stories deserve to shine, unapologetically, in every space we inhabit.”
You can view Kedisha’s artwork from Rutland Lounge on weekdays between 9am-5pm. Step-free access is available via a lift.