Queer Maritimes

Creative workshop: Mapping Yourself

8 November | 10am-12pm

Does the history of Arctic exploration rock your boat? Well, this creative workshop might just be for you! 

Join researcher Ema Sala on a journey of exploration and self-reflection drawing on the extraordinary life of Henry Peglar, a sailor in the doomed Arctic Franklin expedition. In 1845, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror left England to search for the Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Peglar left behind a wallet of mysterious writings, among these a list of his jobs on ships in the shape of a square maze. These writings function like a map, signalling his location at various moments of his life, but also giving his narrative a distinct shape.

Using dip pens, take inspiration from Peglar’s list and produce your very own flash-biography to record significant places in your life. Peglar’s lifespan takes the form of a square, what shapes will yours be? 

Creative workshop: All Hands on Deck

8 November | 12.30pm-2.30pm

Find out what it was really like living in close quarters at sea with local artist Phil Mikulski. 

Using letters and paintings from the Museum's collection that explore themes of intimacy, you'll work to reinterpret and reimagine these ideas in the modern day. 

Through sketches and discussions, you'll explore topics of queer erasure, queer history – and what it means to be seen.

Creative workshop: Missing Memory Mapping

8 November | 3pm-5pm

Every map tells a story, but some stories are neglected or left out entirely. To make them visible we need to map them ourselves! That’s exactly what you’ll do in this creative two-hour memory mapping workshop. 

Join Tim May, Curator of Maps and Mobilities, as he guides you in the drawing of your own thematic and layered memory map of a place that is emotionally important to your identity. Using tracing paper and coloured pencils, you will create a personal archive of queer +/Latinx presence in London. 

This workshop is oriented towards queer and/or Latinx adults who want to creatively explore their connection to place. The workshop will be co-facilitated by the Latinx organisations ‘Latinxcluded’ and ‘Let’s Talk Latinx’. 

Tour: The Mermaid's Tail

15 November | 11am-11.55am

Ahoy fans of folklore and storytelling, there’s something fishy going on at the National Maritime Museum! 

The ‘Mermaid’ is a central figure in maritime history. While they may not (or may) be real, what is certain is that they captured the minds of sailors, travellers, merchants and storytellers for millennia. They transgress borders of land and sea, and offer insight into what human settlement adjacent to water bodies stirs in the imagination. 

During this 55-minute tour through the collections of the National Maritime Museum, artist, historian, and part-time love-goddess HRH Aphrodite will take you on a deep dive through the ever-evolving image of Merpeople; from beautiful fish-folk to harbingers of doom. 

Creative workshop: Queer Legends

15 November | 1pm-3pm

Do maps reflect our realities, or do we have to go beyond the lines? What if we created a map of ourselves? Of our stories, our bodies, our relationships? 

This two-hour creative workshop led by local artist Steph Morris and creative practitioner Billie Duch Giménez invites you to personalise and queer maps of London and the UK, drawing and collaging onto copies of maps from the Museum's collection. You will have the opportunity to make your own mark on the map, pinpointing places and routes of personal significance to yourself.