The Fitzwilliam Museum Podcasts

In this episode, artist Paul Scott discusses Cumbrian Blues Palestine Gaza, a ceramic plate recently acquired by the Fitzwilliam. This dessert plate once showed an idealized landscape of 19th-century Palestine, but Scott has overlaid this image with scenes of modern-day destruction in Gaza. Scott discusses the history of transferware pottery, and his efforts to reveal the hidden politics behind landscapes. This series is supported by the Charlotte Bonham-Carter Trust.

In preserving our pasts for the benefit of future generations, museums have always been forward looking. But what does the future, and the future of museums, look like? In this episode of What Are Museums For?, Fitzwilliam Museum Director Luke Syson and Athena Art Foundation Director Nicola Jennings are joined by Professor Rebecca Kilner and Esme Ward, to explore museums' relationship to the environment, nature and science. What role have the arts historically played in shaping our ideas about the environment? How do museums help to bring scientific knowledge into the public sphere? How can museums promote sustainable values and become more sustainable themselves whilst nurturing a global audience? This podcast is a Fitzwilliam Museum, Colnaghi Foundation and Athena Art Foundation co-production.

In this episode, artist Aida Wilde discusses Dreamboat II, a tiny origami boat made from repurposed Syrian Banknotes. Dreamboat II was commissioned by The Fitzwilliam as part of its Currencies of Conflict and Exchange exhibition. Wilde discusses her desire to raise money and awareness for refugees, as well as her own experience as a survivor of political violence from Iran.  This series is supported by the Charlotte Bonham-Carter Trust.

Digital technologies are continually changing the way we engage with and relate to physical objects. In this episode of What Are Museums For?, Fitzwilliam Museum Director Luke Syson and Athena Art Foundation Director Nicola Jennings are joined by Alayo Akinkugbe, Dr Gus Casely-Hayford OBE and Daniel Pett, to discuss the current digital opportunities around museum collections and engagement. What role can virtual exhibitions play in connecting people to collections? How might digital and physical approaches be combined to generate new layers of meaning? How can social media help us to tell different stories and engage younger audiences? This podcast is a Fitzwilliam Museum, Colnaghi Foundation and Athena Art Foundation co-production.

Every object tells a story, and the stories of how objects ended up in museums can be fraught with political and moral complexity, and even violence. In this episode of What Are Museums For?, Fitzwilliam Museum Director Luke Syson and Athena Art Foundation Director Nicola Jennings are joined by Professor Nicholas Thomas and Dr Donna Yates, to consider questions of institutional and community authority in the context of historical collections. Why do debates – and actions – around restitution matter? What responsibility do collectors/collections have to investigate and respond to the histories of the objects in their care? How does the restitution of objects fit with a broader desire to understand all cultures in all parts of the world? This podcast is a Fitzwilliam Museum, Colnaghi Foundation and Athena Art Foundation co-production.

In this episode, artist Reza Aramesh discusses, Action 125, a hyper-realistic polychrome sculpture acquired by The Fitzwilliam Museum and displayed alongside Berruguete's Saint Sebastian, made 500 years earlier. Aramesh discusses the detailed process behind this sculpture and how it asks the viewer to engage with themes of representation and the iconography of the subjugated body in the context of race, class and sexuality. This series is supported by the Charlotte Bonham-Carter Trust.

For many individuals and communities, the history of art has been a history of neglect, exclusivity and exclusion. In this episode of What Are Museums For?, Fitzwilliam Museum Director Luke Syson and Athena Art Foundation Director Nicola Jennings are joined by Rebecca Birrell, Jennifer Higgie and Dan Vo, to consider representation in the context of gender, sexuality and sexual politics. Have approaches to the acquisition and display of works by and documenting women and LGBTQ+ lives changed in recent years? How should museums deal with problematic histories and with objectifying or violent imagery from the past? What level of responsibility do museums have to 'represent' particular identities or communities? This podcast is a Fitzwilliam Museum, Colnaghi Foundation and Athena Art Foundation co-production.

Dan Vo and Elvira Dyangani-Ose discuss First Flight (2015), a set of etchings by British figurative artist, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye (b. 1977), acquired by the Fitzwilliam Museum in 2020. Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's work challenges the restrictive, aggrandizing themes of the European portrait tradition by destabilising sitters' identities and removing indications of place and time. Instead, her enigmatic, invented heads make room for multiple interpretations and projections. Dan an Elvira discuss questions of representation and agency that are raised by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's work, particularly when placed it in dialogue with examples of portraiture, by Anthony van Dyck and Rembrandt van Rijn, from the Fitzwilliam Museum's remarkable print collection.

There is increasing recognition that enslavement, racial violence and exploitation are an inextricable part of our collective histories. In this episode of What Are Museums For?, Fitzwilliam Museum Director Luke Syson and Athena Art Foundation Director Nicola Jennings are joined by Aindrea Emelife and John Orna-Ornstein, to consider museums' responses to the legacies of enslavement and colonialism. How can we tell stories about them without repeating the violence and perpetuating racist hierarchies? How do we make space for multiple truths, complexity and contradiction? In the face of multiple truths, where does the authority of museums reside? This podcast is a Fitzwilliam Museum, Colnaghi Foundation and Athena Art Foundation co-production.

New Art, New Perspectives is a new series taking a closer look at The Fitzwilliam Museum's latest acquisitions and displays. These additions to the collection highlight artists of colour, showcase under-represented stories, and demonstrate the importance of contemporary art to historic collections. Hosted by Dan Vo, each episode features an intimate conversation with artists and curators. Subscribe and stay tuned for Dan's conversations with artists Magdalene Odundo, Reza Aramesh, Aida Wilde, and Paul Scott as well as renowned curator Elvira Dyangani-Ose speaking about the work of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. This series is supported by the Charlotte Bonham-Carter Trust.