Save 26 March placards, say Goldsmiths students

Save 26 March placards, say Goldsmiths students

A team of Goldsmiths art students will be asking demonstrators on 26 March how they would like the day to be represented in the Museum of London's collections. The Goldsmiths team will be accepting donations at the TUC demonstration against the cuts on Saturday 26 March and at the Museum of London on Saturday 2 April.

If you are going on the march, look out for the team's ‘mobile exhibition' of past protests in the demonstration itself.

The students point out that demonstrators on recent protests have become ever more inventive and carnivalesque: from playing twister on Millbank, to carrying shield-size copies of Karl Marx books. The students hope their project will ensure this creativity is captured for future generations.

Guy Atkins, one of the project organisers, explained: "We're asking people on the march how they want the day to be remembered. Britain has a rich heritage of protests, from the suffragettes, to the poll tax demonstrations, to the Iraq war protests. But how these movements are remembered has largely been decided after the event, and not by those involved with the protests. We want to challenge that."

Dr Cathy Ross, director of collections and learning at the Museum of London, and a Prospect member, is keen to see what emerges. "Although we can't guarantee to take everything that's offered," she said, "we're hoping to end up with items that capture the mood and spirit of the day.

"The Museum of London has a strong tradition of contemporary collecting and this is an original and exciting way of capturing a large London event at the time it happens."

The Goldsmiths team will be at the demo accepting donations and also at the Museum of London on Saturday 2 April. More details at their Facebook page or email: [email protected]


  • 22 Mar 2011