‘Storytelling to me is ideas and imagery in action’ - YP

‘There was freedom in what we wanted to make for the museum– I didn’t expect that.’ - YP

Making Landmarks was delivered in partnership with IYDA, a Farsi-speaking community in South London, to creatively respond to stories, themes and objects from the collection based around identity, belonging and migration. Over a series of three months, the group of young people worked with professional storyteller Olivia Armstrong to co-create a performance based on their lived experiences of migration and displacement. The performance was aimed to raise awareness of the varied refugee experiences, and the myriad of social and cultural issues experienced when arriving in the UK. They performed their work ‘It Could Be You’ to over 150 people at the museum, as part of Refugee Week. This project was intergenerational, as parents/grandparents also attended tours and lectures in tandem, connecting with Persian heritage and supporting the YP with their performances as a result.

‘Before this project, I didn’t realise how important storytelling was in Persian Culture - connecting with objects in the museum that storytellers would have used and toured around with made me feel more connected to my ancestors, and definitely a skill I want to preserve’ - YP