Voyage Voices
Museum of the Home and Voyage Collaboration
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the global shockwaves caused by the murder of George Floyd, communities across the world rallied against symbols of oppression, particularly statues and institutions linked to the transatlantic slave trade. The Colston Statue in Bristol was the first to fall, as Black Lives Matter protesters toppled the statue and dispatched it into the harbour.
In increasingly polarised times, this protest developed into a heated debate about race and class inequality and who is honoured in public spaces. Hackney Council launched a review into the street names and landmarks within the borough. One such statue, that of slave trader Robert Geffrye, is prominently positioned over the gardens of the Museum of the Home and faces the Geffrye estate, a local social housing complex.
Amidst this fervour, Voyage, a local, grassroots BAME-led youth charity spearheaded by a passionate group of young people, decided to join the national debate. Recognising the importance of their stance and their connection to the locality, they penned a compelling letter to the Museum of the Home, calling for the immediate removal of the statue.
The letter followed a public consultation in which the majority of respondents expressed a desire for the removal of the statue from the front of the museum’s buildings. Specifically, the letter from Voyage highlighted the troubling presence of a figure connected to the slave trade in a public museum and emphasised the urgency of addressing this issue, especially during these times of heightened racial tension.
As the campaign gained momentum, Voyage took a proactive approach by reaching out to the museum's director to discuss the concerns raised by the community. In this pivotal meeting, it became evident that the museum faced an extremely difficult decision due to a recently introduced government policy, "Retain and Explain," affecting museums nationwide. Violating this could jeopardise the institution's financial future. Faced with this dilemma, the Voyage leadership team proposed innovative ideas to both win the hearts and minds of the museum's Board of Trustees and comply with government policy.
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The outcome was the conceptualisation of a roundtable event. This event aimed to provide a platform for sharing the lived experiences of museum users and young people, offering a nuanced perspective on the impact of the statue and its implications for the community. The event brought about a shift within the museum's Board of Trustees.
Witnessing the genuine engagement and empathy from the board members, Voyage saw an opportunity not just for the removal of the contentious statue but also for advancing equity and audience development strategies within the Museum of the Home. The Board agreed to review its approach to the statue's relocation, signalling a willingness to embrace change and acknowledging the broader positive impact that addressing these concerns could have on the community and the institution. Through thoughtful dialogue and collaboration, the Voyage team played a pivotal role in transforming a contentious issue into an opportunity for progress and inclusivity.
Voyage took a proactive approach, appointing a dedicated team of young individuals to work alongside the Museum of the Home to advance the plans for relocating the statue. Simultaneously, the team embarked on a developmental journey to gain a deeper understanding of museum operations, from the archival process to exhibition design, and an appreciation for the significance of statues within a cultural institution.
Throughout 2022, in Stage 1 of the project, the team from Voyage analysed different locations across the museum site where the statue could potentially be relocated. Several alternative locations for display of the statue were reviewed, considering its size, weight, material, and the need for any new display to be in a space visitors can choose to enter. The young people proposed that the statue be retained on site and relocated to the discrete but publicly accessible graveyard, where the tomb of Robert Geffrye is located.
For Stage 2 of the project, the young people imagined what a display could look like in the graveyard space. For this stage the project team was expanded, partnering with the British Museum for the Where We Are... project, a UK-wide programme for young people that co-designs and co-delivers meaningful local projects in arts and culture.
As part of this collaboration, the young people recruited a facilitator to run creative sessions and visited cultural sites across the UK to meet with other young people tackling similar themes and working on co-curation projects. Young people were invited to deliver parts of each workshop based on their interests and encouraged to see their interests and skills as assets that they can share with one another. Members of the group were supported to take on responsibility for different aspects of the project, such as documenting sessions or designing the manifesto. Once initial ideas had been established, the young people worked on the recruitment of designers to translate their ideas into concept designs.
Supported by a Voyage tutor, a community artist, and members of the museum team, the young people engaged in foundational work that allowed them to explore the intricacies of museum management. This immersive experience equipped them with the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute meaningfully to the statue relocation project. The collaborative effort led to the development of an artistic brief that encapsulated the cultural and historical context, aiming to make the relocation a poignant and respectful process.
This artistic brief was shared within creative circles across the UK, generating interest and prompting the appointment of a design team. Comprising of talented individuals with diverse backgrounds, the design team's mission was to co-produce creative ideas for the statue's relocation, ensuring a thoughtful and culturally sensitive approach. Importantly, the young people from Voyage were actively involved in shaping the creative brief, participating in the shortlisting process, and contributing to the interview process, leading to the appointment of POoR Collective.
POoR Collective, chosen for their innovative approach and commitment to social impact, collaborated closely with the Voyage team, Museum of the Home, and other key stakeholders. Together, they worked on translating the artistic brief into a tangible and impactful plan for the relocation of the statue. This collaborative effort not only addressed the immediate concerns raised by the community but also became an embodiment of meaningful engagement, representation, and inclusivity within the cultural landscape.
As the project unfolded, it became a testament to the powerful voice of young black communities and the transformative power of collaboration between passionate community advocates, young leaders, and established cultural institutions.
The fervour for transformation served as the impetus for this project, which, despite its initial contentious nature, metamorphosed into a platform for empowerment, education, comprehension, and unity. The team led by Voyage has been instrumental in directing the narrative.
Through their explorations and work with POoR Collective, key themes emerged for the young people:
Colour - a session led by a group member explored colour as a key component of the redesign. The group identified the instinctive positive and negative connotations of different colours and considered how colour should be a key part of the design.
Care -exploring the context of museums as sites of care historically and today. Incorporating representation of who has provided care in society and who is in receipt of it.
Nature as storyteller - using plants to create barriers and to become part of the narrative through informed planting to address the climate crisis as a legacy of colonialism and how people of colour suffer the effects of the eco crisis disproportionately.
Mural - a mural containing a timeline of events around Geffrye, the statue, and local events
Voices - ensuring stories of local people were present in the display, through oral history recording and the interpretation text, to decentre the narrative focus on Robert Geffrye
Reflection - creating a space for healing and open dialogue and a space for visitors to be able to respond to the display
Materiality - understanding the statue and how to display it but also the connotations of the other materials used in the space and what they could signify to visitors
Clarity - an acknowledgement within the display of the process and approaches used in its creation
In June 2023, the concept designs by POoR Collective and Voyage Young People were finalised and presented to the Board. Three designs were chosen as best reflecting the ideas and intentions of the group to be taken forward for further consultation and development.
After being discussed at length by the Heritage and Communities committee (a sub-committee of the main Museum board chaired by trustee Alain Clapham and including representatives from Voyage and Museum staff), it was decided that Idea 1: Growing Understanding, which sees nature as the context in which to frame notions of change, care and kindness was strongest and should be developed further with a landscape architect.
Currently, the relocation project is at a pivotal juncture, awaiting next steps towards a planning application. As we anticipate the forthcoming steps and approval, Voyage takes immense pride in having transformed a once contentious issue into a solution, thereby further validating the formidable power and voice of the youth.