Museums UK-wide prepare to retell our stories to a watching world for the Cultural Olympiad
As London prepares to welcome the world in 2012, major museums and libraries across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are preparing to host an unprecedented exploration of our past, it was announced today (28 April).
Stories of the World, one of the major projects of the four-year London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, is a series of exciting exhibitions that will reconnect museum collections with the people and communities that they came from.
Hosted by 59 venues across the UK, the £6 million programme is organised by the MLA in partnership with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). The programme will be delivered through 14 partnerships and will generate over 35 exhibitions and events UK-wide. (Details below).
The celebration will inspire young people to dig into the past and dust it down. They will work as curators, finding new ways to present objects and artefacts, discovering untold stories and hidden meanings, and working with museums, libraries and archives to generate a network of innovative exhibitions for 2011 and 2012.
Andrew Motion, MLA Chair said: "Much of our museum's collections come from all over the world; brought here through exploration and trade and uncomfortably tied up with our imperial histories. These stories have often been described from the same, familiar perspective.
"Stories of the World makes a break from all that. It is a real opportunity to do something that's bold and creative on a national scale like never before. It's hugely exciting that curators and historians are taking a back seat and we are connecting museum collections back with the people and communities they came from. It's equally as exciting to see young people engaged with museums and objects, helping to curate exhibitions and making them relevant to Britain today."
Jude Kelly, Chair of the Culture, Ceremonies and Education Committee, LOCOG, added: "This unique project will bring people together to share their stories across generations and between cultures. It will inspire young people by bringing them into contact with some of the great thinkers, artists and historians of different times and places."
Roy Clare, Chief Executive, MLA, added: "Stories of the World gives us a unique opportunity to demonstrate that creativity and innovation are at the heart of museums, libraries and archives. It has created valuable partnerships, between museums and other institutions and the communities they serve, to develop participation by wider and more diverse audiences. Museums have a clear responsibility to interpret and reinterpret their collections so that people can find their own stories."
Stories of the World will celebrate today's diverse population through themes such as the fascinating yet chequered history of cotton; old precious metals to modern 'bling'; and fashion and adornment amongst others.
The exhibitions will bring rarely seen objects out from the stores and will take place at a variety of venues. They will include storytelling, music, performances in public spaces, debates, creative workshops and weekend family activities. International loans will help bring world class collections to towns and cities in the UK.
A first time collaboration between Edinburgh and Glasgow museums will showcase diverse objects from around the world that explore the universal themes of celebrations and world festivals, and their influence on Scottish cultural life.
Malcolm Kerr, age 21, chose a Bengali performance scroll depicting scenes from Robert Burns' poem Tam O'Shanter as part of the exhibition. He said: "I have never been involved with anything like this before. It was nice to be able to interact with something that is going to be around for a long time and seen by lots of generations to come. I chose the scroll because I liked the way it had been depicted and translated for another culture to understand."
The British Library is opening up its collection of 150 million objects, books, manuscripts, photographs, maps and sound recordings for young people to create responses for a project called 'In Your Own Words'.
Kisandka Moses, age 16, chose Booth's Poverty Map from 1891 from the British Library Maps collection as part of her involvement. She says, "Libraries and museums are important because they offer another way of learning, outside of the classroom. I think Stories of the World is a really good opportunity for people to comment on things that are relevant to them and relate it back to the wider community."
To find out more about Stories of the World, visit
www.london2012.com
Summary of the 14 Stories of the World projects
East of England - East meets East - Local Asian communities guide a series of exciting exhibitions with links to curators and artists in Asia. As part of the programme a Bedford truck decorated by a Pakistani artist will be driven back from Pakistan to join the Luton Transport Gallery. Other highlights include Making Memories, an oral history project with Chinese elders; and collections of national significance loaned by Xuzhou Museum, China, to Colchester Castle Museum. Regional partners include: Colchester & Ipswich Museum, Norfolk Museum, Fitzwilliam Museum, Museums Luton and Essex County Council.
Scotland - Fiesta! is a unique first-time collaboration between National Museums Scotland and Glasgow museums, that will explore the influence that celebrations from around the world have had on Scottish cultural life. From Burns' night to New Year's Eve, Fiesta! will showcase diverse objects from around the globe including world musical instruments, Tibetan masks and Italian art. Highlights include bespoke Scottish material - including a specially commissioned Shetland fiddle - and performances in the newly renovated Grand Gallery of the Royal Museum during the Edinburgh Festival.
British Library - In Your Own Words Using universal themes such as love, death and family, the British Library will explore the stories of world cultures through its unrivalled collection. Young people all over the country will get to choose items from the Library's 150 million objects - including books, manuscripts, photographs, maps and sound recordings - to generate creative responses of their own in a range of media which will be shown at the library, on its website, and on social networking sites. The British Library will develop new partnerships to bring its collections into public libraries across the UK, and will work with Seven Stories, the Centre for Children's Books.
South West - History of Sex - This exhibition will use museum objects as a starting point for young people to think about the diversity of human sexuality, sexual health and well being. Young participants will work with historians, artists and healthcare professionals to explore the sexual artefacts collected by pharmaceutical giant Sir Henry Wellcome from all over the world ranging from 16th century chastity belts to Japanese pillow books. The core exhibition will be held at Royal Albert Memorial Museum alongside displays and artworks in innovative spaces visited by young people. Partners include: Royal Albert Memorial Museum, University of Exeter, Bristol Museums Galleries and Archives, Royal Cornwall Museum, Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, the Wellcome Trust and the Science Museum as well as healthcare, education and community groups throughout the region.
East Midlands - Fashioning Identity will celebrate how fashion is shaped by global influences. A series of exhibitions and events will draw on acclaimed local collections such as Northampton Museum and Art Gallery's world-renowned shoe collection (featuring 12,000 examples of footwear); Leicester Museum's World Cultures, Decorative Arts and Textiles collection; and Nottingham's superb collection of 19th century Chinese textiles. Partners include: Nottingham City Council Museums and Gallery Service, and Leicester Museums and Galleries.
London - World City will examine how cultural exchange has shaped life in London. A series of exhibitions will be held based around four aspects of life in the world city - identity, home, journeys and place. Highlights include: London Votes, an event inviting Londoners to choose which museum objects best represent their city's identity. Key London collections will be brought together from the Museum of London and Docklands, London Transport Museum, Horniman Museum, and the Geffrye Museum, working with a network of lesser known and surprising collections from across the capital.
Birmingham - Style Africa - Drawing on Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery's dazzling collection of textiles and dress from West Africa, young people in the West Midlands will explore the rich and colourful artistic traditions of Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. The project will culminate in an exhibition at the Museum's Waterhall Gallery featuring textiles not seen by the public for nearly two decades. Web cameras, film and email will also be used to facilitate cooperation with textiles specialists in West Africa. Other partners include Birmingham Archives and Heritage.
Yorkshire - Precious Cargo will examine how objects, ideas and customs have found their way across the world and become 'precious' items of heritage in the process. Using a wide range of local collections - including York Castle Museum's designated Roman Collection, Hull's Maritime and Archaeology Collections, and Barnsley's Plant Collections - experts will help diverse communities explore the stories of their heritages. Partners include: Bradford Museums, Galleries and Heritage; Leeds Museums and Galleries Service; Hull Museums; Museums Sheffield; York Museums Trust; Barnsley MBC Museum and Heritage Service; and Scarborough Museums Trust.
Wales - Just Bling? will look at how the wearing of precious metals has been used to express personal status. Young people will curate and interpret precious artefacts and images from different cultures and ages, and compare them with the present. Exhibition highlights include rare gold from Wales and Africa, and a dazzling range of jewellery and medals and fine art. All of the National Museum of Wales sites will help deliver the project, including the National Roman Museum, Caerleon; National Waterfront Museum, Swansea; National History Museum, St Fagans; National Museum, Cardiff; National Wool Museum, Drefach Felindre; Big Pit; and National Slate Museum, Llanberis.
North West - Global Threads will take a radical look at the links Lancashire has made with Asia, the Caribbean and the American South through its cotton industry. Throughout 2012, a series of exhibitions, displays and projects will tell global stories and inspire artists and young people to create new work. Highlights include exhibitions in working textiles museums at Queen Street, Burnley & Helmshore and Rossendale; and rich archives of printed and woven textiles from around the world, with a focus on Indian production and design. Partners include: Whitworth Art Gallery; Manchester City Galleries; Bolton Museum and Archive Service; Harris Museum and Art Gallery; Lancashire County Museums Service; and Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery.
South East - Local Global will look at how culture is being transformed in a globalised world. The project will result in a permanent new display of the Royal Pavilion & Museum's collections - which feature 13,000 objects from Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Americas. The project will also run a 'Day of Record', in which young people reflect on where they draw their cultural heritage from, using film, museum collections, photography and music to inspire them. Delivered by Brighton Museum and Art Gallery.
Liverpool - Spirit of the Mask will explore the power and significance of masks in different world cultures. The exhibition begins in the city before touring the UK, and features items such as Nigerian masks worn to 'transform' the wearer, and masks from Papua New Guinea used for the initiation of boys into manhood. Other highlights will include the creation of new masks and costumes for public performances; and displays of Chinese dragons and Caribbean carnival costumes to tie in with local festivals and events. Project to be delivered by National Museums Liverpool.
North East - Journeys of Discovery - Captain Cook, the North East's most famous seafaring son, visited six of the seven continents during his lifetime, charting lands and people previously unknown to Europe. In his spirit, young people will explore the region's world cultures' collections, reinterpreting them for a series of exhibitions. One of the highlights is a recreation of a 1785 theatrical production about Omai, a south sea islander who returned to Britain with Cook after his second voyage. Collections from Pacific (Polynesian, Melanesian & Micronesian), Maori and Aboriginal cultures will also be featured. Partners include Tyne and Wear Museums and Archives; The Bowes Museum; Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, Middlesbrough; and the Oriental Museum, Durham.
Northern Ireland - Rhythms of the Year will explore the different ways that seasons are celebrated throughout the world. A range of themes will be covered such as seasonal cycles, coming of age ceremonies, romance and music. Festival artefacts from all over the world will be on show, including St Brigid's Crosses and Ulster Christmas Rhymers masks from Ireland, and ivory Lions of Fo figurines from China (used to evoke Chinese New Year). Young people from Northern Ireland's Traveller community will also be recruited during the project through the 'Spirit of Enniskillen' initiative. Partners include: the National Museum of Northern Ireland and the National Library service.