Claque Theatre collaborated with Aldgate Community Events, The City of London Children and Community Service, The London Metropolitan Archives, and others to create an inclusive community projects aimed at engaging the residents of the City of London, Aldgate, and Whitechapel. Individuals, families and groups told their stories of life journeys, immigration and migration through personally made exhibitions in suitcase.
Each exhibit was an opportunity for different sectors of the community to make themselves visible or better known to their neighbours; by sharing their stories and histories, they discovered what they have in common.
These 'small' exhibitions grew in size over the year as more suitcases were made. They popped up in a variety of spaces and venues including shops in Middlesex Street, The Artizan Library, The Bevis Marks Synagogue, The East London Mosque, The Church of St Botolp's without Aldgate, The John Cass School, and Wilton's Music Hall. Collectively they told the story of a migrant community that has always lived just outside the city wall. Suitcases made their final showing when all the cases gathered together at the Community Fair to celebrate the opening of Aldgate Square over the week end of June 15th-17th 2018
Each exhibit was an opportunity for different sectors of the community to make themselves visible or better known to their neighbours; by sharing their stories and histories, they discovered what they have in common.
These 'small' exhibitions grew in size over the year as more suitcases were made. They popped up in a variety of spaces and venues including shops in Middlesex Street, The Artizan Library, The Bevis Marks Synagogue, The East London Mosque, The Church of St Botolp's without Aldgate, The John Cass School, and Wilton's Music Hall. Collectively they told the story of a migrant community that has always lived just outside the city wall. Suitcases made their final showing when all the cases gathered together at the Community Fair to celebrate the opening of Aldgate Square over the week end of June 15th-17th 2018
The Aims of the project
The design and aims of the City Suitcase Project has been informed by community soundings and consultation undertaken by Jon Oram, Artistic Director of Claque, the City of London Housing and Neighbourhood, advised and overseen by a local volunteer set-up committee.
The Aims
The Aims
- To encourage residents and workers of the City of London to discover the multiple connections between their past and present lives and with their neighbours.
- Deliver a range of presentations that rouse a sense of belonging, connects people to a shared heritage, and challenges their thinking and responses to contemporary issues.
- Promote Aldgate as a destination and advocate the new Aldgate Square as a public space and community hub.
- Create better visibility of the multi-various social and cultural groups and celebrate both difference and commonality.
- Support greater independence by developing community ownership, collaborative responsibility and building a skills base that allows the community a better chance to support and sustain future activities.
- Develop community partnerships supporting their working together, and encouraging better communication and joined up thinking.
Take and Empty Suitcase
Art in, or made from a suitcase is not a new concept, but what you do with yours will be unique. How do you make something of a suitcase? Here you can see the process for making your own exhibition.
Gather together some artefacts that help tell your story. It may be photographs, a toy you had as a child, an ornament, memorabilia of a holiday or travelling, An object representing some of your hobbies or interests, Items that symbolise friends or members of your family. You may want to make the objects and images you put in your case. We strong;y advise that you put nothing in your case that is of any real monetary or sentential value, we cannot guarantee their safety. If you want to add something that is of value to you, take a photograph or make an model of it rather than risk it getting lost or broken..People find it helpful to bring their collection to a workshop to share their stories with others. Telling the stories behind the objects stimulates the imagination and helps you make a more vivid and clearer exhibit. The very best exhibitions tell a clear story that viewers can follow
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Talking about your artefacts and memorabilia will have helped you decide what story you want to tell..It might be your childhood; or aspects of your life now - your interests , friends, family; or it could be about a journey you took, one of our suitcases tells the story of a young girls escape from Somalia; it could be about a special holiday or short period of your life, how you met your partner; you might opt to tell a story from the history of your community. for example we have a suitcase about Israel Zangwill, a jewish playwright, journalist and social activist who was born in Aldgate in the mid 1800's. This is your exhibition to tell a story you want to share.. Once you have your idea it will determine what else needs to be found in way of artefact, and what needs to be made. But first it's worth drawing out your suitcase and the layout of your exhibit. Some people have made a three demential model of their suitcase to help with the planning.. We believe everyone is capable of making things, there will be people on hand to help and advise you at the workshops but you still may opt to just fill your case with memorabilia and 'real' items. Do whatever you feel comfortable with and tells your story best..
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Next choose your suitcase. If you are a resident, worker or involved in the Aldgate Community Events project we can supply you with one, but you may already have one at home, or you may want to go shopping for one that suits you better than the range we have to offer. You can usually pick them up for £10 or less from a charity shop. Spitalfield Market usually have them but they can be a little more expensive. Think about thee size and chose one that will accommodate the amount of artefacts you want to display. The character of the case is important - does it help say something about you. Take the broadest possible interpretation of 'suitcase' it could be a lunchbox, violin case, food hamper, shoe box, satchel, child's case, briefcase or vanity case - Think of it as a container for carrying something when you travel that says something about you.
After people have been given their cases they can choose to make their exhibition in workshops or at home... In the workshops you have access to more help and materials..Once the case is made it will appear in pop up exhibitions around Aldgate, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets and the City. The exhibition sites are growing but presently they have included Kahila Cafe, City Print, Dorst Hotel, St Botolph's wIthout Aldgate, Wilton's Music Hall, Tower Hamlets Archives, Portsoken Community Centre, East London Mosque, Christchurch Spitalfields. and The London Metropolitan Archives..In May and June 2018 the suitcases will all come together in a single space together with the return of In Camera photographic tour and the Aldgate Play.
If you would like to make your personal suitcase exhibition .or have workshops fort your group to make one, contact us and we will get back to you to discuss how we might go about making that happen. For further inspiration look at the pictures below and visit our own suitcase gallery to see what other Aldgate people have been making..
If you would like to make your personal suitcase exhibition .or have workshops fort your group to make one, contact us and we will get back to you to discuss how we might go about making that happen. For further inspiration look at the pictures below and visit our own suitcase gallery to see what other Aldgate people have been making..
Duchamps 'Box in a Suitcase' is a small self contained exhibition of a number of works and fold out like a gallery of its own. He made a number of them. Below is a video of one of his suitcases being opened.
