Highlights of 2018
When I started this blog my aim was to write up on at least one experience per month however, I fell off that wagon by September. To make up for that, this post is a sort of summary of the places, exhibitions, heritage and art I have seen (or experienced) that should feature before 2018 closes. Whilst the deadline for my dissertation continues to approach as we enter 2019, I do hope to be more consistent writing about the heritage I’ve been fortunate enough to see and experience…
April 2018
Världskulturmuseet (Museum of World Culture) Göteborg, Sweden.
During April 2018, there were several exhibitions going on at the Världskulturmuseet. Whilst the World of Feathers exhibition features on my Instagram, I wanted to give more thought on the Aswat — Syrian Voices exhibition (Sept 2017 — winter 2018).
The Syrian refugee crisis flitters on and off the mainstream news circuit, despite it being an on-going reality for over 6 years. There are differing (and sometimes harmful) opinions on how to respond to this crisis. As with many things, the people who are living with the consequences of actions outside of their control are not always asked or listened to about how they actually feel about their current predicament.
Based on the web-project #syrien200 (launched by SVT)which explores the lives of 200 Syrian’s who have fled to Sweden) this exhibition focused on 12 Syrian voices. In addition, the museum collaborated with Abir Boukhari (artistic director and curator for AllArtNow) to include several pieces of contemporary art from Syrian artists. Themes of memory, isolation, loss and placelessness were present in these artworks.
With interpretative text available in Arabic, Swedish and English, the stories that formed this exhibition, I would argue, sought to include a variety of audiences — that may span across different ethnicity and nationalities but were able to connect to these people through language. For me, this exhibition went beyond transmitting information from objects and artworks to audiences, by building in several points of reflection. From the rhetorical questions (see below) to the feedback/ response area, these were all ways which facilitated a contact zone between visitors and the Syrian’s within the exhibition (with the potential to extend to Syrians outside the scope of the museum). When I say contact zone, I’m referring to a space in which communication and constructive dialogue is encouraged to inform understanding (see: Mary Louise Pratt (1991) Art of the Contact Zone).
When looking at some of the rhetorical questions below, how would you answer these questions? If you posed these questions to someone else (someone you knew or a stranger), would their answer differ to yours?
The best example of this exhibition functioning as a contact zone, can be seen from the feedback/ response area at the end of the exhibition. Usually, visitors are encouraged to leave their response/ comments about the exhibition via a form, comment card, post it note ect. This was different. This was a contact zone in action.
There were about five post cards with a different name on one side and their story (or information they wanted to share with the visitor). I can’t exactly remember why I chose Saleh but that’s who I wrote to. This was so poignant as for me a visitor, as I felt I could respond to Saleh on a very personal level.
This was one of the first times I have taken a photo of a response/ comment card that I have written, but I wanted to remember this moment of communicating with someone so central to the theme of the exhibition.
For further information about this exhibition click here.
June 2018
The city of Southampton, United Kingdom.
I went to see a friend of mine in June and spent the weekend in Southampton. Unfortunately, I did not visit any museums or galleries but I did notice there were sculptures and cute artwork around the city which were really pleasant to look at during our walks.
July 2018
Whitney Plantation, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
Last year when I watched Girls Trip, the women in my family already knew what was happening next year. Whilst Essence Fest was the main reason for going to NOLA, I was not sure what to expect when I arrived.
Louisiana has such an interesting history that deserves more time than I had, but I know I am going back for sure. For one, I was in the Deep South and as a historian, this was the first time I had come across physical reminders and monuments of the past (specifically Black History)that I had studied to degree level. Initially, I wanted to visit the Oak Alley Plantation but tickets sold out quickly. I went to Whitney Plantation instead, which as been described as America’s ‘First Slavery Museum’ (New York Times, 2015).
Our tour guide Ali was everything a tour guide should be (in my opinion). He was knowledgeable, he was relatable and acknowledged the personal details of a history that has been portrayed and discussed through an ‘objective’ lens only, for so long.
Being able to see the physicality of how enslaved Black people were forced to live and walk in their literal footsteps around the plantation, was a strange experience. On one hand, I was angry about the innumerable horrors that had been wilfully enforced, under the barbaric institution of domestic slavery in America. On the other hand, this tour at this plantation was the only place I felt I could properly reflect on the theme of slavery, racism, inequality and the question of progress, in a US context.
The physical structures of the plantation and the surrounding land is important as this is the surviving heritage of a certain history. However, the many sources (written at the time, as well as more recently) that accompany these physical reminders of slavery, continues to influence present and future understanding of how this history is told. In trying to make sense of the scholarly stance taken in regards to slavery, I pose questions like:
- Who wrote the sources we refer to most?
- Why is the question above so important when interrogating primary and secondary sources?
- Whose voices are missing (or less known) in these narratives?
- To what extent does the stance posed by the previous question feature in current understandings of ‘reliable’ sources?
These are all areas that need to be actively addressed within institutions who seek to preserve and provide ‘education’ to the general public. People like Ali who work at the Whitney Plantation are important, as the history of slavery, racism and questions of progress were not just discussed as history only — reflection in the present was possible. For instance, the connection between US domestic slavery and today’s prison industrial complex was made all the more clearer as we discussed how the ending of slavery developed into Black Codes. The criminality ascribed to Black people expanded further following Reconstruction and into the Jim Crow era. Unsurprisingly, the linking of Blackness and criminality still exists today…You get the gist (hopefully).
Below are some facts that Ali shared with the group, which I’ve paraphrased:
- ‘Sell you down the river’ was a term that derived from the sale of surplus labour from the upper south to Louisiana, where there was a labour shortage due to harsh working conditions to cultivate cash crops (e.g. sugar cane & tobacco). On some plantations in Louisiana, the mortality rate for enslaved people was 10 years.
- The slave cabins (pictured above) were occupied by sharecroppers until 1965!
- The Children of Whitney series (sculpted by Woodrow Nash) represents the ‘hopelessness of slavery’. The eyes of each child have been removed, to present the story of the children who were enslaved prior to the end of the American Civil War (1861–65) and some of which were interviewed as part of the Federal Writers’ Project of the Works Progress Administration (1936–38).
Links to check out:
http://whitneyplantation.com/the-children-of-the-whitney.html
The National WWII Museum, Magazine St, NOLA.
WARNING: Do not attempt to complete this museum in one day — you will fail.
I also signed up for the Dog Tag Experience which allows you to connect to personal stories from WWII, as well as having access to tons of other historical material online.
October 2018
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London.
This year, four new galleries opened at Greenwich:
Sea things
Pacific Encounters
Tudors and Stuart Seafarers
Polar Worlds
My initial thoughts about each of the galleries was the level of interactivity. Content was layered in a that made the experience fun, for me and I imagine family members of various ages.
I (maybe)spent too much time on the interactives in the Pacific Encounters gallery because I could select what information I wanted to engage further with. I wanted to engage with ALL the information, as this was an area I know very little about.
The Sea Things gallery was the most fun though. No pun intended, but there were so many objects on display to see. Many objects were on open display and visitors were encouraged to touch objects — which was a nice change to see.
Be sure to check out the talking busts in the corner — you will crack a smile :)
November 2018
Plaits, Princesses + Pink Moisturiser exhibition, Waltham Forest, London.
Focusing on a topic I can totally relate to, Korantema Anyinmadu curated this exhibition (with photography by Nana Ama) which explored ‘black womxn and their hair’ with each person selecting ‘an object that relates to a personal memory of hair’ (Anyimadu, 2018). Some of the experiences on display I had lived, others made me smile and reminded me of countless conversations I’ve had (and still have with) some of my friends. I love to see information that is part of my norm on display — to discuss with those who are familiar with Black hair, whilst being open to learning something new about the diversity of Black hair.
Travels in Northern Ireland
I started in Belfast (peeped the Giants Causeway of course), popped down to Dublin for a few days and then went back to Belfast to co-curate the Changeover exhibition for the Museums Association Annual conference (more on this at a later date).
I learned A LOT about the history of the island of Ireland, and the role England played (of course). I still have much reading to catch up on…
Travels in Dublin
I lost a day because most museums are closed on Monday’s— you’ve been warned.
If you have a chance, check out the Science Gallery’s super interactive Intimate exhibition (Oct 2018-Feb 2019). The Mediators (who were really interesting people to speak to about the exhibition) were a great touch to reinforce the theme of connection and encouraging intimacy and interaction (within) but also with people, especially people I didn’t know. This exhibition had some really cool objects on display such as the Hello Machine — one of seven phones in the world which can receive and make phone calls to one another. If you happen to make a call, all I will say is that there is one unexpected receiver…
The Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester, Manchester.
To be honest, visually, I thought the William Kentridge Thick Time exhibition was visually intriguing but I did not completely understand the pieces, from just looking. There were few interpretation labels in the gallery however, exhibition guides were provided on the middle table. The exhibition guide was useful, in providing a better understanding of the messages being conveyed from the beautiful tapestry pieces and the five moving installations.
Kentridge’s key themes entailed:
- Time- ‘used as a material to undermine the certainty of knowledge’ (Kentridge, 2018). When I read this, I had to do a double take of the work in the main gallery because I had not thought of time in that way before.
- History- ‘personal reflections on his hometown of Johannesburg, South Africa, to embrace universal experiences of colonialism’ (Kentridge, 2018).
- Politics- revolutionary (in nature) and industrialisation- perhaps in response to post-colonialism?
Below two other exhibitions were also taking place, Bodies of Colour and Alice Kettle: Thread Bearing Witness.
The Bodies of Colour exhibition was another example of how a contact zone could be facilitated. Through the use of wallpaper in the collection, this exhibition invites audiences to be a part of a discussion on race, superiority and stereotypes that reinforce the former points. Transparency regarding the outcome of this exhibition was clear in that the ‘team at the Whitworth have been discussing how we challenge racist representations within our collection…but don’t all agree about how it should be done’ (Whitworth, 2018). I think this assertion is a step forward for museums, moving away from this idea that one way of thinking is the only way of thinking. Sometimes our assertions are wrong. Active listening is an important skill that needs to be at the forefront (in general) but especially when discussing race, stereotypes and the idea of superiority. As the wallpaper shows (see below) ideas and opinions that represent meaning and understanding of the attitudes within society at a given time, are expressed (often repeatedly) in many ways. Wallpaper is one way (that not only appears harmless, as an initial thought) but something I did not consider as a viable means of dispersing and reinforcing a given message or idea deemed as ‘acceptable’ by society.
The Alice Kettle: Thread Bearing Witness exhibition
December 2018
The Black Experience Exhibition, Protein Studios, Shorditch, London.
The Black Experience was not just an exhibition. For Glenda Gaspard (sole curator) it was an opportunity to ‘remind people of the unmatchable reassurance and wisdom that comes from simply exchanging experiences’ (Alt Africa, n.d). Open for a day, The Black Experience opened the door to a collaborative space to display and converse about Blackness (and its diversity), creating art across various mediums and navigating as a creative in white spaces.
This experience was different to the rest of exhibitions mentioned above, as I was both an assistant curator and visitor. From a visitors perspective, this was my first time at a private view and it was honestly so much fun. Initially, we were able to walk around the two gallery spaces and look at the art pieces on display and speak to the artists themselves. Then there was an intro from Glenda welcoming everyone to the exhibition and explaining the concept of the Black Experience in a bit more detail. During the in between periods, the DJs were playing music that I can only describe as both encouraging and reflecting good vibes. Then came the panel discussion from those working in or with creative industries, talking about their experiences and offering advice to those who want get into creative industries. I can’t remember names of all the panellists but the founder of Black Blossoms (I believe) was a panel member. The rest of the night entailed spoken word performances, singers and rappers taking to the stage and the finale — a performance by Glenda herself.
I want to take a moment to thank Glenda for allowing me to be a part of this creative process as both a visitor and assistant curator (I will go into the curatorial side of the process at a later date). Being able to see so many people (especially Black people) in a gallery space was so heartwarming and reinforced how art brings people together in such creative ways.
Links to the artists are below:
@Saffmacc
@Gabe_brandao
@brennan.kier
@adwoaology
@alyteoutchea
@queeniesbiro
@photosbyjavs
@eurphoricsnaps
@ammah.london
@lindseyda_18
@chelcbianca
@iilaydamac
@sahar_ghorishi.x
@oliviamsjones
@efroghne
If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read synopsis of some of the historic, artistic and inspiring artworks I’ve seen and exhibitions I was fortunate to experience.
Here’s to a year of consistently documenting future experiences of art, culture, history and heritage.
