On Thursday the 19th of October in our Social Enterprise Incubator at the Coach House in St. Pauls, we hosted our, ‘UnMuseum Project Launch,’ an innovative project that reimagines the very essence of a museum and challenges the traditional museum concept. This event was also accompanied by the launch of our first pop-up exhibition, a collaborative effort with the Arnolfini, offering a captivating visual journey through our recent exploration of Museum Zoma in Addis Ababa. Guests also enjoyed a delightful spread of East African cuisine courtesy of Jikoni.
Photo of Chair, Rob Mitchell welcoming attendees to the UnMuseum Project Launch.
Once the launch kicked off we were warmly welcomed by Chair, Rob Mitchell before Senior Policy Officer and Project Lead, Angelique Retief did a presentation on the development of the UnMuseum concept. We then delved into a deep panel discussion around what the UnMuseum is with our fantastic panellists Sado Jirde (BSWN Director), Abira Hussein (Digital Heritage Consultant on the UnMuseum Development Phase), Dr. Alexandra Selassie Antohin (Grants Manager at Corps Africa), Shawn Sobers (Professor of Cultural Interdisciplinary Practice at UWE), and Dr. Tola Dabiri (Strategic Heritage Management Consultant on the UnMuseum Development Phase).
Photo of Angelique Retief Project Lead, presenting the development of the UnMuseum concept.
“Intangible cultural heritage is also about how to relate knowledge to objects; for us, these objects are related to people and places. How can we reflect this, and how people engage with knowledge, in our digital cultural heritage ethically?”
In this lively panel discussion, the panel dived into the idea of decolonising cultural heritage and its relevance to racially minoritised communities in the South West, addressing the challenges it presents and sharing strategies for community ownership. The conversation also centred on safeguarding living traditions, challenging colonial narratives, and the synergy between physical and digital elements, all within the context of decolonisation and inclusivity in heritage preservation. The panel explored the idea of letting the community take on the role of the curator, making cultural preservation more fair and inclusive. Following the discussion, an engaging Q & A session allowed attendees to further delve into these crucial topics and interact with our expert panellists.
Photo of during panel discussion (left to right) Rob Mitchell, Sado Jirde, Abira Hussein, Dr. Alexandra Selassie Antohin (on screen), and Prof. Shawn Sobers.
“It is heartening to see these new imagined spaces that are named after States of Becoming. An UnMuseum Project invites us to think in ways that ‘decolonisation’, in its stagnancy, does not anymore.”
Following this, our Programming and Engagement Consultants, Louise Boston-Mammah and Louisa Adjoa-Parker, engaged in conversations about ongoing consultations across the region. They highlighted the UnMuseum's approach to reaching and representing diverse communities, including those who have historically been marginalised. They also discussed how individuals can become involved in the project by filling our consultation survey.
Photo of (left to right), Louise Boston-Mammah and Louisa Adjoa-Parker.
At the end of the event, attendees enjoyed some amazing food from Jikoni East Africa and explored our first pop-up exhibition in the downstairs area of the Coach House, "Unearthing Histories: A Photographic Journey Through Zoma Museums," a collaborative effort with Arnolfini Arts.
Photo of attendees viewing the exhibition which will remain at the Coach House until the 15th of December.
This visual journey showcases BSWN's recent visit to Museum Zoma in Addis Ababa, where both tangible artefacts and intangible cultural heritage of Ethiopia are preserved.The exhibition will remain open until December 15th, and we encourage guests to share their thoughts on our feedback boards.
Photo of an attendee sharing their thoughts on a feedback board after viewing the exhibition.
Thank you to all who attended, participated, and supported this event. We look forward to continuing this journey of reimagining museums with a decolonial lens!