This is my first time working closely with a museum collection. I had several visits to the galleries and the opportunity to look in the storage and archives. At first this felt like an overwhelming task as there are almost a million items in Bradford Museums and Galleries collection.
Although I had various areas of interest, I decided to focus on the Belle Vue collection which holds a vast number of studio portraits. The majority are of migrants to Bradford in the 50’s and 60’s. I instantly felt a strong connection to this archive as the only existing photograph of my Grandparents together was taken in one of these studios in the 1950’s. One of the main areas of interest in my practise is migration to Britain and how the British Empire has affected what shapes Britain today. I was able to reflect on this in greater depth and decided I wanted to tell a story about the issues affecting second/third generation migrants to Britain now. As I could not use images from the archive in the work itself, I chose instead to incorporate the aesthetics of the Belle Vue studio into the work. I decided to make a video piece on Mother Tongues and how many second/ third generation migrants cannot speak theirs and cannot communicate with family. I was interested in this potential loss of identity, stories and history. I felt this would be relatable in Bradford which has a large South Asian community. I reached out to Bradford residents on this subject via social media and was amazed by the number of responses I received. On reflection, with such a personal topic, I would have preferred to have communicated in person but due to my pregnancy, I had to speed up this process and many of my conversations were held over the phone or via email interviews. When the exhibition opens, I hope to explore the subject with the Bradford community in person. I also hope to show this work in different locations and continue this conversation.
I enjoyed the experience of working closely with curators and discovering how works are acquired into collections. There are some areas I will explore further after 20/20. For example, I learnt that although donations from large collections are welcome, the donor’s taste can then come to dominate/shape the collection. Problematically, there are also some objects which do not have any information with them. There are also some physically large, unmovable pieces in the gallery. I reflected on how the gallery can become hostage to these works and what can be done to explore this through curation. This is why I felt it important to do an additional performance work in the gallery space and collection vaults. In a contemporary Punjabi dress and 10 metre plait, I documented myself passively looking at the objects in the galleries with the plait snaking behind me, dominating the space. I will explore these subjects further in my future practise.
The project has allowed me the time and space to develop my video work stylistically. I was able to employ a team for the first time to help me realise the visuals. This experience has developed my ability with video and I am excited for this step forward in my practise.
Addressing decolonisation is heavy and additionally I was exploring this with the imminent birth of my child. My thoughts were concentrated on how future generations will experience collections and see themselves reflected. I am interested in how we pass on legacies and positively move forward in diversifying collections. My pregnancy also forced me to speed up the process, so I was working on a shorter timeframe. I had great support with this from the 20/20 team and from Bradford. It has helped me to know what sort of support and care I can receive and what I should expect from an institution. It was very helpful to have a code of conduct/manifesto from 20/20. As decolonisation is an emotional topic, taking care of yourself is vital. I felt safe to be vulnerable in this project and to acknowledge that. Having the support and respect of the team has allowed that space and for this work to exist.
Partner Reflection
Bradford District Museums and Galleries
Lowri Jones, Curator of Collections
James Steward, Museums and Galleries Manager
Bradford District Museums and Galleries (BDMG) sit within a very diverse district. As such, the museums service was extremely pleased to be selected to host one of the artist residencies for the second cohort of the 20/20 project. Reflecting the diversity of the district in the art collection has been a concern of the service since the 1980s. While active collecting may have slowed as a necessary response to resourcing challenges, projects such as 20/20 enable us to maintain this focus on collecting, displaying and telling the stories of ethnically diverse artists.
The ways in which Sarah Maple has reflected on the BDMG collections and buildings, Bradford’s history, and her engagement with the experiences of individual Bradfordians provides one model of how work created by non-Bradford-based artists can engage and reflect intimately with the experiences of communities here. The upcoming display of Maple’s work fits within a suite of displays currently at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery (Where It Began – Osman Yousefzada, Plants of the Qur’an, Dreams, and Songs to Sing) that either showcase the experiences of, or are thematically aimed at, BDMG’s diverse local audiences. The 20/20 project has encouraged us to think about, among other things, the importance of centring narratives from a much broader range of people than has traditionally been the case in art galleries. The clear appeal of the recent programming to our audiences further supports this, enhancing our commitment to more diverse programming.
Curatorially, the influences of the 20/20 project have been felt in a few different ways. The community curatorial and learning teams have been building relationships and working with a wide range of communities. Two of the central tenets in Doing the Work, the core text for the 20/20 project, emphasise redistributing power and taking care of people. This has re-enforced BDMG’s commitment to working effectively and sensitively with community groups: meeting them in their own spaces, working with them to figure out what works best for them and how the museums can support them, and working to build the relationships and processes to do things equitably, rather than in an extractive manner.
The project has also greatly assisted the collections curatorial team in their practice, particularly as they begin work looking at the embedded racist, colonial and white-centric narratives of the collection. Plans for approaching decolonising work around the collections are currently in progress, with the texts and discussions that formed part of 20/20 having been hugely helpful in this. As we move towards Bradford City of Culture 2025, being able to be an inclusive, non-violent and representative space to all has never been more important.
