Exhibitions and Displays
At Home with the World
Opening Tuesday 20 March - Sunday 9 September 2012
Group portrait (detail), possibly of the Brewster family, signed Thomas Bardwell, dated 1736
As we prepare to welcome the world to London in 2012, we ask how ‘English’ are our homes? At Home with the World will highlight domestic objects which have come from overseas or been influenced by other cultures to tell a fascinating story about how many of the designs, decorations, materials and social customs with which we are familiar in our homes today and which we consider to be ‘English’, might have originated elsewhere. We will encourage visitors to engage in a dialogue about their homes and to think about them afresh, exploring how other cultures have shaped our personal spaces, our ideas about what makes a home and about the way we live. Free admission.
Read the press release here.
View the exhibition preview here.
At Home with the World is a Stories of the World: London exhibition. Stories of the World is one of the major projects at the heart of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
To see the creative stories on the objects discussed in our period rooms as part of the At Home with the World exhibition please go to our Digital Library.
Exhibition Tours
Join our Young Volunteer Tours Guides for a tour of our Stories of the World: London At Home with the World exhibition. As part of the interactive tour you will discover more about the exhibition’s key objects and themes, visit the Collection Stores, and find out how young people have been involved throughout the programme. Tours will take place on the following days:
Tours will take place at the following times:
- Saturdays 9 June, 14 July, 11 August and 8 September. Timed entries at 10.15 and 11.15am and at 12.15, 2.15, 3.15 and 4.15pm.
- Thursdays 24 May, 28 June, 26 July, 23 August and 6 September. Timed entries at 10.15 and 11.15am and at 12.15, 2.15, 3.15 and 4.15pm.
Tickets are free, but numbers are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis 10 minutes before the tour begins.
Concourse Display Area
Who Stole My Milk? : Exploring Student Homes in London
Tuesday 15 May - Sunday 9 September 2012
In 2012, as part of the Stories of the World: London programme, 19 students from UCL Institute of Archaeology have worked alongside museum staff on the project Who Stole My Milk? Exploring Student Homes in London. Who Stole My Milk? will show how cooking implements, decorations, social customs and personal mementoes come together in the student's quest to create an individual identity in this temporary home away from home.
Following interviews and photo shoots with students living in international student homes all over London, these UCL students have produced learning and web resources, planned and managed events, assisted with marketing and communications, and created an exhibition of graphic panels for the museum's lower concourse area.
Front Garden Installation
Giant Tea Party!
On display from Wednesday 21 March - Sunday 9 September 2012
Families from Morningside Children's Centre, inspired by the museum collection and our current At Home with the World exhibition, worked with sculptors, artists and museum staff to decorate a giant tea pot and tea bowls for the Geffrye's front garden.
They discovered the story behind the 300 year old Ca Mau tea set, explored different painting techniques, storyboarded and sketched images for the tea set design. Inside the tea bowls they painted their wishes for the Olympic year.
This collaboration is part of the museum's commitment to provide engaging workshops inspired by the museum's themes and to encourage local families to work together, have fun and learn new skills.
