Identity RCA
An online exhibition held in partnership of the London Design Museum titled “Making Public”
Objective
Identity RCA was a interdisciplinary interview series designed to explore a shared topic of research, while creating connections to fight the feeling of isolation of the early days of covid.
Addressing the early days of the pandemic, The Identity Box reflects on how the concept of ‘identity’ can be viewed as a construct that functions as a box - physical, conceptual, emotional, cognitive and social from which one might be forced to step out of. Working across the fields of art, design and architecture, these perspectives will be explored through a series of intimate online interviews with artists, designers and scholars. These interdisciplinary conversations use identity as a lens through which to create connections between professionals working in different fields of thought and practice.
Methods
Open space: through self-directed but structured discussions using the Zoom “box” as our table we aimed to create connection our mutual experiences while leveraging our differences to create space for unexpected outcomes.
Our initial aim was to create an “open space” format group discussions or “meeting framework that allows large groups to have self-directed, but structured discussions…”, (Adamson et al., n.d.), leveraging the opportunity to connect around a table after sharing a mutual experience like an exhibition. Our intent was to leverage the various backgrounds, cultures and experiences while using the table as an equaliser to discuss exhibitions around the theme identity. As the lockdown eliminated our ability to connect through exhibitions, we continued to try to create “open space” discussions now meeting around our computer screens rather than a formal table. Experimenting with “art based engagement” that we defined as journal writing, planning mask-making workshops, performance art and colour design an effort of sharing our skills while stimulating our creativity in what was becoming an increasingly stressful situation.
We created test interviews, first administered through text and Instagram messenger then with Zoom engaging friends, family and colleagues which enabled us to test questions and practice conducting the loose interview style. This included the testing the clarity of the questions through translation, which were conducted using Mandarin, Hebrew and English.
Outcome
“Identity Box”, a series of 8 interviews covering the topics of identity and practice with artists, designers and scholars, shown through an online exhibition via the London Design Museum.
Interview with Dr. Lucy Somers of the Sussex Colour Group on colour and Identity.