Sampad South Asian Arts and British Council India Launch a New Anthology
Birmingham-based organisation Sampad South Asian Arts and British Council India are proud to announce the launch of a brand new collection of short stories, poems and reportage compiled from the winning entries to their major international writing competition, ‘Inspired by my Museum’.
The competition invited budding writers, aged 16 and over, from around the world to record and share their personal reactions, connections or experiences inspired by a visit to a museum. Participants could respond to a museum space, architecture, design, a specific object or objects within a museum, or even a museum/exhibition curator.
480 entries were received from 32 countries around the world including Canada, Croatia, India, Ukraine, the UK and New Zealand. Writers took their inspiration from a diverse range of museum, both large and small, including Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, BMAG (UK), the Victoria & Albert Museum, V&A (London), the Indian Museum (Kolkata), the Museum of Broken Relationships (Croatia), the Slave Trade Museum (Nigeria), the BATA Shoe Museum (Canada) and the Museum of Folk Architecture and Life (Ukraine).
The anthology was launched in Birmingham earlier this month as part of a special event hosted by Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and Soul City Arts, which saw a range of local and international artists also taking inspiration from the museum’s environment and delivering live spoken word, poetry and musical performances responding to the gallery’s current exhibition “True to Life? New Photography from the Middle East”.
During the event, writers of entries selected for publication were presented with their personal copies of the anthology and Frances Gapper from Rowley Regis was announced as the overall UK winner of the competition, with her entry ‘The Terror of the Oceans’ inspired by the Natural History Museum in London.
Frances says:
“I’m absolutely delighted and thrilled to have been chosen as the overall UK winner – what a wonderful surprise! I’m pleased that my tribute to the Natural History Museum was selected, as I used to love going there as a child, with family and friends – we would always visit the awe-inspiring model of a blue whale, which I gather is still one of the main attractions. I’m proud to have a story in this excellent and beautifully produced anthology”
Piali Ray, Director of Sampad South Asian Arts says:
“We are delighted to have partnered with British Council India and the Museums’ Association to realise this project and our special thanks go to Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery for hosting the launch of this new anthology. The response from 32 countries highlights the phenomenal diversity and rich culture of museums across the globe, which has inspired some very personal and emotional reactions from the writers. We were impressed and moved by the depth, range and imagination of the resulting work”.
The three overall winning entries are:
INDIA
Jaya Jain
The Fall , Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb, Croatia
UK
Frances Gapper
The Terror of the Oceans, Natural History Museum, London
RUSSIA
Katherine Turkina
Blank Verse of Shadow Theatre. K. Malevich. “Black Square”, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Outstanding entries
INDIA
Ashwini Gowariker
The Anchor of Wood, Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, Poland
Sharmila Mitra
The Halls of Shadows, The Indian Museum, Kolkata
Gaurav Sharma
Ugly/Beauty, The Louvre, Paris, France
UK
Andrew Lemming
Love Among the Exhibits ,Various
Lizzy Ridout
Hanging Out ,National Portrait Gallery, London
Kenneth Adams
Inspired By My Museum, Fleetwood Museum, Lancashire
Highly Commended entries
CANADA
Jennifer Footman
Astarte’s Pendant, The Cyprus Exhibition, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
INDIA
Adrija Bandyopadhyay
Nikita’s Arrival ,The Indian Museum, Kolkata
Shambhobi Ghosh
In Time,The British Museum, London
Mrudula Patil
Museum of National History, New York
Sharon Puthur
The Handkerchief, The Prince of Wales, Museum, Mumbai
Neelam Saxena Chandra
Mahatma, Anand Bhawan, Allahbad
UK
Skye Bayley
Trapped ,Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke on Trent
Andrew Campbell-Kearsey
The Brighton Museum Cat ,Brighton Museum, East Sussex
Oran Crawford
The Day I Met Evil, Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, Poland
Philip Howard
Pauline in the Yellow Dress, Sir James Gunn, 1944: Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, Lancashire
Full list of ‘Inspired By My Museum’ entries selected for publication
CANADA
Cheryl Braganza
My 1964 Sexual Awakening: Grosvenor Gallery,London, UK
Jennifer Footman
Astarte’s Pendant: The Cyprus Exhibition,
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK
Nayoung Jin
Seahorse: The Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Vancouver
CROATIA
Iva Tkalec
Ordinary Love: Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb
FRANCE
Louise Robinson-Brouze
An Awakening: The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, Cairo, Egypt 8
INDIA
Vinita Agrawal
Priest King: National Museum, Karachi, Pakistan
Francis Anthony
How Tropical Kerala Unearthed my Buried Cultural Memories:
Mattancherry Palace, Kochi, Kerala
Adrija Bandyopadhyay
Nikita’s Arrival: The Indian Museum, Kolkata
Anneshya Banerjee
Inspired by My Museum: Netaji Museum, Giddapahar, Kurseong
Ishani Banerji
In Midst Of Oblivion: The Indian Museum, Kolkata
Siddhartha Basak
Home: The British Museum, London, UK
Divyesh Bhandari
Museum Man: Leeds City Museum, UK
Megha Chatterjee
Kurusura Submarine Museum: Vishakhapatnam
Madhulika Dutta
Dreams: National Museum, New Delhi
Manaswita Ghosh
An Imagination from the Past, an Inspiration for the Present:
Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata
Shambhobi Ghosh
In Time: The British Museum, London, UK
Ashwini Gowariker
The Anchor of Wood: Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, Poland
Anjali Gupta
Impressions…: Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Nita Idnani
A National Museum on The Life and Works of Sardar Patel:
Sardar Memorial-Ahmedabad
Deepa Kylasam Iyer
Wall Paper: La Tour de la Lanterne, La Rochelle, France
Jaya Jain
The Fall: Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb, Croatia
Mukul Kumar
The Remnants of Independence: Swatantrata Sangram Sanghralaya,
Red Fort, Delhi 45
Sreya Mallika Datta
Inconsequentiality: Museo Nacional Del Prado, Madrid, Spain
Sharmila Mitra
The Halls of Shadows: The Indian Museum, Kolkata
Archita Mittra
The Silent Storyteller: Kolkata Panorama (Town Hall), Kolkata
Arpita Mittra
The Museum of Museums: The Heritage of North Kolkata
Utsa Mukherjee
Me and my Colours!: National Museum of Bhutan, Paro, Bhutan
Juhi Neogi
My Visit to the Bard’s Home: Tagore Museum,
Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Kolkata
Mrudula Patil
Museum of National History, New York, USA
Sharon Puthur
The Handkerchief: The Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai
Mythili Rao
The Threshold: Museum at Jaipur and Delhi
Neelam Saxena Chandra
Mahatma: Anand Bhawan, Allahbad
Mithu Sen
MOU (Museum of Unbelongings):
The Cabinets at my Home, New Delhi
Gaurav Sharma
Ugly/Beauty: The Louvre, Paris, France
Vatsala Sharma
Photographs: A Window to the Past and Memories:
National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi
Aarushi Singh
Curiousete: CSMVS, Fort, Mumbai
Shanta Singha
She: Guwahati, Assam State Museum
Shreya Sudesh
Of Light on Legacies: Egmore Museum, Chennai
Sneha Sundaram
The Weeping Woman: Tate Modern, London, UK
Annie Besant Tresa Rani
Welcome to the Museum: The British Museum, London, UK
IRELAND
Zoha Ahmed
Vincent Van Gogh: The British Museum, London, UK
ITALY
Martin Bennett
‘The Last of England’: After a painting by Ford Madox Brown,
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Birmingham, UK
NEW ZEALAND
Shih Yen Chang
Lotus Shoes: Otago Museum, Dunedin
NIGERIA
Emecheta Christian
The Museum: National Gallery of Modern Art, Lagos
Francis Ugochukwu Maduakor
Gloom: National War Museum, Umuahia
Ubio Obu
The Last Drum of Freedom: Slave Trade Museum,
Calabar, Cross River, Nigeria
PAKISTAN
Ariba Zahir
Of Massive Wings, Metallic Bodies And Mechanical Birds…:
PAF Museum Karachi, Shahra-e-Faisal
RUSSIA
Katherine Turkina
Blank Verse of Shadow Theatre. K. Malevich “Black Square”:
The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
SERBIA
Milan Simonovic
When My Dream Comes True: Narodni Muzej, Belgrade
SINGAPORE
Yu Ching Tan
Glass Changes: National Museum of Singapore
SRI LANKA
Rossana Favero-Karunaratna
That Small Museum!: Yatala
SWIZERLAND
Elsa Fischer
The Old Masters: “Still Life” Exhibit. – Kunstmuseum, Basel 2009
UKRAINE
Antonina Litak
We Are All Leaves Of The Same Tree:
The Museum of Folk Architecture and Life, Uzhhorod
Alla Vovk
Kiev, Independence Square
UNITED KINGDOM
Kenneth Adams
Inspired By My Museum: Fleetwood Museum, Lancashire
Robert Awork
My daughter and the Museum: Liverpool Museum
Peter Barnfather
Reflections: Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
Skye Bayley
Trapped: Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke on Trent
Sarah Beney
Remembrance: RAF Air Defence Radar Museum, Neatishead, Norfolk
Anna Berg
The Teacher Smiled: Imperial War Museum North, Manchester
Rachel Bourne
The Bigger Picture: Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry
Becky Bye
The Museum: Sturminster Newton Museum, North Dorset
Terry Caffrey
Glass I: St. Helen’s Glass Museum, Merseyside
Andrew Campbell-Kearsey
The Brighton Museum Cat: Brighton Museum, East Sussex
Jane Campion Hoye
Waterfall Glory: The Guinness Storehouse Museum, Dublin, Ireland
Glynis Charlton
Krill: Maritime Museum, Hull
Lynda Clark
Climbing Stairs in Karlsruhe: Badisches Landemuseum,
Karlsruhe, Germany
Phoebe Clothier
The Will To Survive: Imperial War Museum, London
Oran Crawford
The day I met Evil: Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, Poland
Mel Cross
Salute: The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Nija Dalal
Lost; Manchester Museum, Manchester
Linda Delderfield
Waste of Space: Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Birmingham
Cathie Devitt
Kelvingrove:Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Scotland
Rani Drew
Heritage: Sedgwick Museum, Cambridge
Joss Emmett
Art In Every Form: The Holburne Museum, Bath
Olive Gallagher
The Cloam Oven: Combe Martin Museum, North Devon
Frances Gapper
The Terror of the Oceans: Natural History Museum, London
Rosie Garland
Sir Thomas Aston at the Deathbed of his Wife:
Manchester Museum, Manchester
Uschi Gatward
Toothbrush Ring: Huntingdon War Museum, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
Thomas Giles
Lost Technology: National History Museum, London
Wendy Goulstone
Earth Mother: Te Papa Museum, Wellington, New Zealand
Linda Hardy
At The Museum: Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Birmingham
Hilary Hares
A Gift for the Button Museum: Birmingham Button Museum (now closed)
Philip Howard
Pauline in the Yellow Dress, Sir James Gunn, 1944:
Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, Lancashire
Anna Hunter
A Journey Into Awe: Ulster Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Sophie-Louise Hyde
Still Credited to a Woman: Charnwood Museum,
Loughborough, Leicestershire
Lucy Jackson
Touching the Past: The Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth, Hampshire
Simon Jackson
Sgriob: The Dufftown Whisky Museum, Speyside, Scotland
Tom Jones
The Museum: Newark-on-Trent Museum in about 1953
I.M. Khalifa
Sakura and The Ivory Carver: Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Chris Kinsey
The Meteorite Hunters: The Spaceguard Centre,
near Knighton, Powys, Wales
Brian Francis Kirkham
Another Earth: Imperial War Museum North, Manchester
Tim Knight
Between The Threshold: Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Mariia Kukkakorpi
Remains: Natural History Museum, London
Neil Laurenson
Free Admission: Salt Museum, Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire
Andrew Lemming
Love Among The Exhibits: Various (School Trips: 1975 to 1977)
Jane Lovell
Balto the Sled Dog: Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Ohio, USA
Safoora Masood
Backbone of the Town: Bankfield Museum, Halifax, West Yorkshire
S J Menary
My Ancestor and I: Jewry Wall Museum & the Nasby Battlefield Project,
Leicester
Naeem Mirza
Discovery Road: Eureka! National Children’s Museum,
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Zahid Mirza
Open Spaces: Cartwright Hall, Bradford, West Yorkshire
Frances Nagle
With Simon in Florence: The Bargello in Florence, Italy
Karen Naylor
Cobra: Wakefield Museum, West Yorkshire
Miruna Olaru
Am I not a Woman and a Sister?: National Maritime Museum, London
Verity Owen
‘Things’: Sedgwick Museum and Zoology Museum, Cambridge
Seanagh Palmer – Pilgrim
The Bayeux: Museum of Reading, Reading
Laura Parkes
Grounded by the M-Shed: M-Shed, Bristol Docks, Bristol
Kauser Parveen
The Theme of Life: Cartwright Hall, Bradford, West Yorkshire
Saiqa Parveen
The Palace Museum: Amar Mahal Palace, India
David Pearce
Harriet: Fleetwood Museum, Fleetwood
Mary Pearson
First Nation People: G Catlin – Native American Portraits,
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham
Lynn Pegler
Chance Encounter with a Flying Suit:
Imperial War Museum North, Manchester
Olivia Phillips
Quality Time: Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Jenna Plewes
Leave Me in the Light: Lynn Museum, King’s Lynn, Norfolk
Amanda Quinn
Wallace: Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, Sunderland
Joyce Reed
Poetry Reading at the Museum: Manchester Museum
Lizzy Ridout
Hanging Out: National Portrait Gallery, London
T E Samad
Long Live the Bard:Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon
Rebecca Audra Smith
Sea Dirge; The Manchester Museum, Coral Exhibition
Mary Stableford
Goodbye-ee: Tate Britain, London, and Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Augustus Stephens
Jina: Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Laurence Sullivan
In The Tea Leaves: The V&A Museum, London
Alice Taylor
Cypresses: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, USA
Laurence Tilley
Kissing under the Pterodactyl, An Odd Ode:
Natural History Museum, London
Michelle Tudor
Standing Still: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Hiroshima, Japan
Jocelyn Watson
Inspirational: National Portrait Gallery, London
USA
Elvis Alves
Three Legged Buddha (after the sculpture by Zhang Huan):
Storm King Art Center, New York
Joann Cook
Museum of Glass: Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York
Torsa Ghosal
Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto: Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada
Jessica Goody
“Madonna and Child”: Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia
Ojaswee Rajbhandary
The Man in the Khaki Pants: American Museum of Natural History,
New York City 223
SJ Wolfe
Padihershef and Me: George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum,
Springfield, Mass
