Room to Rethink

What was the challenge?

The Museum of the Home is a cultural institution and exhibition space in the heart of Hackney, London. The museum’s historical links to colonialism and slavery were brought to light by local community members in 2020, sparking in a public consultation. As a result of this, the museum launched a new purpose- to explore the concept of home and what it means to people around the world, moving from simply exhibiting objects and interiors towards using stories and questions to create a more inclusive dialogue. 

The museum wanted local community members and visitors to share ideas that would actively feed into the evolution and development of the space, so they asked The Liminal Space to help them connect with audiences in a new way. We saw this as an opportunity to create transparency around the way that cultural institutions are typically funded and hierarchised, and the obstacles that this can create.

View fullsize

View fullsize

What did we do?

We created a dedicated space in the museum that looked like a ‘work in progress’ and designed ways for people to express what they want to see, both in the space and in the museum as a whole. A giant systems map spanned the exhibition’s feature wall, detailing the Museum of the Home’s ecosystem and structures- from the spaces inside the building, to the people who work there and the organisations and bodies they are funded by.

Room to Rethink used bold text and colourful worksheets to encourage people to share their thoughts and stick them directly to the walls. This approach broke down the view of a museum as being static and untouchable and gave the community ownership over how the space is used. We worked closely with young people in the borough to design something that they felt they could use for homework and conversations - reframing the museum as a key part of their local lives. Room to Rethink features furnishings kindly donated to the museum by Neptune. 

What has the impact been?

The Museum of the Home collated hundreds of ideas and opinions shared by visitors to Room to Rethink and used this feedback to evolve and improve their exhibitions and methodologies.

Room to Rethink has been a brilliant tool for us to start conversations in the museum – not only with our public audiences but within our internal teams and peers in the museum sector. Visitors have spent meaningful time in the space, sharing their opinions and perspectives and being honest about how they think we can develop the Museum of the Home to better reflect their lives, and it’s allowed us to be transparent about the stakeholders and decisions that make up our museum.
– Danielle Patten, Head of Creative Programmes and Collections

---

COLLABORATORS

Furnishings: Neptune