BREATHE! enables young Black and ethnically diverse people to explore colonial histories, diasporan identities and heritage through studying African collections in European museums. The project aims to address inequalities in cultural and creative participation by centring Black voices and knowledge in conversations about African heritage and colonial histories.
In August 2022, twelve young people from Oxford and Vienna took part in a ten-day workshop focused on Zimbabwean and Nigerian objects in the Pitt Rivers Museum. Participants undertook independent and facilitated research on three objects - an Ekpo mask (Ibibio), a carved ivory tusk from Benin (Edo) and an mbira (Shona). This research embraced intangible histories, discussion of identities, and technical aspects of the objects. Grassroots knowledge was at the heart of learning: African and Afro-Caribbean educators led ‘transmission’ workshops, in which they shared stories and histories connected to the objects through conversation, music, song, movement and art. BREATHE! embodies historical resistance to the loss of languages, practices and narratives that have been historically passed down through oral traditions. Through this focus on oral transmission, BREATHE! reactivated knowledge present within diaspora communities that is valuable for future generations.
InsightShare and Kulturhaus Brotfabrik both specialise in participatory art processes that underpin this creative production. The films and music produced through BREATHE! were created by the participants themselves, meaning they were empowered to have control over the representation of the project and research while gaining film and music production skills. The short films and music piece gave voice to their emotional responses, interpretations, and connections with their research.
In total, four short films and one music piece were created. These pieces are artistic creations but they can also be considered research documentation. The museum aims to layer the films as digital impressions that compliment the displays. This is an opportunity to enrich exhibitions and collections by celebrating pre-colonial African history and contemporary expression, while also laying bare painful colonial pasts and presents. The final films and song will be available online in autumn 2022.
BREATHE! also emphasises the importance of intercultural dialogue and creating local and international communities through facilitating international exchange. The partnership between InsightShare and Kulturhaus Brotfabrik, and the residential element of the project, built connections between the UK and Austria and youth from different ethnic identities. Partnership with the Pitt Rivers Museum enabled a broader sense of ‘intercultural exchange’. World cultures museums are excellent springboards for learning about heritage stewardship, personally, locally and globally. They also present opportunities to experience history, politics, art and geography in ways absent in the curriculum.