Decentralise
Overview
Decentralise invites you to engage virtually with over 16 key objects from, and inspired by, Somerset House’s exhibition past, spanning Afro-nowism, Afrofuturism, political arts and disobedient objects, through design, interaction and play.
The project delves into Somerset House’s exhibition archive, from Get Up, Stand Up Now (2019) and Return of the Rudeboy (2014) to 2026: Utopian Voices Here & Now (2016), to host illustrated objects inspired by some of today’s pioneering contemporary Black artists and creators including GAIKA, Richard Rawlins and Althea McNish.
Using these objects as materials, you are able to build your own artistic creations and contribute to the Decentralise archive, exploring how themes from the exhibition archive relate to the personal and collective experiences of what it means to be Black and British.
Process
My old studio COMUZI was asked by Somerset House to create an interactive project based its history. We suggested that we wanted to work with six talented young artists who would help shape the direction and the visual language of the work, while we will bring it to life.
After meeting the six and doing introductions, we spoke about how deeply important it was to preserve Black heritage and history in the UK, and also to critically question the lens through which history is presented to us.
- Whose stories are being prioritised?
- Whose are discarded?
- How could we celebrate the culture, traditions, and worldviews of people in our communities?
Naturally, conversations began to arise around how history, art, and identity are deeply interlinked with each other.
In our workshops together, we asked other questions such as:
- What does digital storytelling look like?
- And how can we recognise black joy, spirituality and creativity through an interactive tool?
Reception
- Draw with illustrated objects of Black British art in the Decentralise interactive toolkit — It’s Nice That
- The digital archives retracing art and design history — Creative Review
- Art in a virtual reality: the platforms bringing culture home — Wallpaper
- Somerset House deprogrammes Black art history — LSN Global
- Ten coolest things to do from home right now — GQ Magazine
Credits
- Creative Technologist — Lex Fefegha
- Studio — COMUZI
- Client - Somerset House supported by Pinterest
- Collaborators — Somerset House’s Young Producers, Seamus White