Museums are not always thought of as the most exciting places for young people. Part of the aim of the MLA London young museum consultants project was to change this idea. Shola, Franklyn, Melissa and Lucia were part of the young creative consultants group at the National Maritime Museum and supported by Sarah Saunders, Informal Learning Officer. 

Group photo with John Agard New interactive displays and play equipment make the National Maritime Museum appealing to children yet we feel teenagers are rarely aware of these facilities. However, even if they were aware, they would not be interested as the facilities are more appealing to children. Throughout the project we have tried to inform and enrich the museum experience for young people. We did this over the course of 1 week.

Project activities

We did various activities which include: an audio trail, various presentations and performances to John Agard, a well known poet, and several interviews of people working in fields relevant to cultural heritage.  

Interviews 

Preparing to shoot interviews 

Whose voice do we hear in the Atlantic Worlds Gallery and what are the legacies of this time on contemporary identity?

Franklyn, Lucia, Melissa and Shola selected three people that they felt would add more voices to how the gallery could be interpreted.

Watch or read our interviews of people we chose connected with the Atlantic Worlds gallery. 

Our views

 Making a film

What is contemporary identity in Britain? How is identity affected by a journey? How can a painting speak a personal history? Do we create a stereotype for ourselves? We have created some responses to the Atlantic Worlds gallery and identity in contemporary Britain.

Listen to our views.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio

Preparing ideas, writing scripts 

How does maritime history affect contemporary British identity? What has it got to do with young people today?

The Atlantic Worlds Gallery opened in November 2007. The MLA London consultants focused on some of the legacies of this. It focuses on the relationship between the Atlantic Ocean and the movement of people during the period 1600-1850. The collections in this gallery are displayed thematically rather than chronologically. The MLA London creative consultants team looked at the legacies of the objects and themes in this gallery to inform and inspire their Identity as a Journey Project.

Franklyn, Lucia, Melissa and Shola introduce the sections of the gallery below. 

Franklyn introduces the Atlantic Worlds GalleryFranklyn introduces the Atlantic Worlds Gallery 

Melissa introduces Encounter and Exploration

Melissa introduces the Exploration and Cultural Exchange section of the gallery 

Lucia introduces Trade and Commerce

Melissa introduces the Trade and Commerce section of the gallery 

Franklyn introduces Slavery and Resistance

Franklyn introduces the Enslavement and Resistance section of the gallery 

Shola introduces War and Conflict

Shola introduces the War and Conflict section of the gallery 

Workshop

An output of the placement was to lead a workshop to create a mural that other young people could contribute to within the museum. 

Photos

This section contains a compilation of photos taken during our 1 week residency at the National Maritime Museum.

Thanks to...

...Steve Curtis, Keji Okeowo, Jan Tofi-Tsekpo, Andy Davies, Daniel, Edith, Caroline Muradlo, Ruth Fisher, John Agard, James Watson, Charlie Keitch, Amy Cameron, Jane Hayward, Cityzen, MLA, The Complete Works Company, John McAleer, Robert Blyth and Claire Warrior for supporting this project.