Museum of Me

I ran a series of workshops with community groups and the general public, as well as Al-Ashraf School. I invited participant to choose and object that had a particular significance to them, and to write a museum-style interpretation to tell the story of themselves and their object. This project was a collaboration with Museum of Gloucester and was commissioned by City Voices as part of the Gloucester History Festival 2021.

 

The aim of the project was to examine the way that museums and galleries use objects to create meaning and tell stories. I wanted the participants to think about how narratives created by displays are inherently biased in that they are selected to tell a certain story or constrained by the objects available, and that the fact that museum displays do not represent an absolute truth or an ultimate authority on the portrayal of history.

 

With this in mind, I asked them to think about how they would represent themselves if they were making themselves into a museum display. What objects would they use and what stories would they like to tell? They were free to interpret the brief as they wish. They could attempt to present a well-balanced view of how they see themselves or, they could respond more playfully, perhaps by exaggerating certain aspects of their lives, or making unfounded claims about their talents or abilities. This encouraged them to think about how a historian from the future might view they objects that they are presenting, and what conclusions they might draw from them.

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Listen below to interview about the project for BBC Gloucestershire

(Audio by Jo Durrant, copyright BBC Gloucestershire)