911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ

Exploring 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ's history and heritage with a new project, Creative Connections.

A creative project tackling 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s history culminated in an art exhibition displayed on campus at the end of February.  

Led by Sevinc Kisacik from the Public and Community Engagement team, with artist Christina Peake, Creative Connections delved into 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s heritage and explored how our staff and students feel about it today. 

The project featured a range of online and in-person creative workshops involving 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s internal community, particularly those who felt they represented a marginalised community.  The sessions explored the history of the Great Exhibition of 1851, pulling out stories which were more unknown, including insights into hidden histories such as LGBTQIA+, Global Majority and disability history.  

Reshaping narratives 

The project revealed not only the depth of our history, but also the intersectional diversity that exists at 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ today, with many participants identifying as global majority, from the LGBTQIA+ community, as having a disability, or a combination of all three Sevinc Kisacik Public Engagement Programmes Manager (Inclusion)

The sessions gave participants the opportunity to share their lived experience and to reflect on how they felt about the university’s history.  They were then asked to take part in a creative activity crafting mini sculptures inspired by each other’s stories. These sculptures and the process of making them highlighted how we care for, retell and reshape the stories that define us, whether these are narratives that we impose, or are imposed by others.  

Sevinc said “It was fantastic to see such a diverse range of participants come together, from undergraduates to those completing doctoral studies, and staff from across 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ.  

We worked with diversity networks to ensure every branch of our community was included. 

The project revealed not only the depth of our history, but also, in those who attended, the intersectional diversity that exists at 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ today, with many participants identifying as global majority, from the LGBTQIA+ community, as having a disability, or a combination of all three.” 

Reflecting historic voices 

Christina researched the Great Exhibition of 1851, Victorianism, and imperialism, building on her previous work on the topic, and drawing on material from the Royal Commission of 1851 Archive as well as 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s records.  

She said: “The opportunity to reflect historic voices and those of the present was unique and welcome. I was amazed by the generosity of the students and staff that participated in the workshops and how much they shared... No project can answer all of the questions of an institution's history and heritage, however, I believe [Creative Connections]... is a point within a journey for 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ, where ideally this project will inform future dialogue in the same way it was inspired by past conversations and projects such as the History project.”  

The artist created two artworks in response to the research and workshops. 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ Cosmologies – Where We Are Now… and 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ Letters were exhibited in the College Main Entrance. Christina explained:  

“These commissions were inspired by engaging with the 1851 Royal Commission and 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ archives such as the student journals, participatory workshops with staff and students and the 
stories and debate that surfaced in those sessions.” 

The Societal Engagement team worked alongside staff and students from across the university to produce Creative Connections. 

The Great Exhibition Road and beyond – 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s hidden histories 

• Amongst other hidden narratives, Creative Connections explored the story of Catherine Duleep Singh, suffragist goddaughter of Queen Victoria who lived openly with her partner Lina and, at the end of her life, saved many from the Holocaust. 
• Participants also delved into the history of the Great Exhibition of 1851, the first ever international exhibition showcasing industry, raw materials, art and design from Britain and abroad. India at the time was represented by the East India Company, rather than by India itself, making it the only country represented at the Exhibition by a private company. 
• There were abolition protests at the Great Exhibition because of the presence of the USA, a country still using slavery.    

If you’d like to learn more about engaging the public with your work, or need support developing an engagement project, please contact the team, or sign up to our newsletter.