'Mistold Stories' Exhibition at Seaton Delaval Hall
This exhibition is a collaboration with Seaton Delaval Hall, a National Trust property in the North East. It is a continuation from my Master's dissertation which was motivated by the lack stories of the women in the Delaval family.
The dissertation discusses different types of safe spaces and how this can be translated into exhibition design. It analyses and evaluates a range of exhibitions and their provisions of safe space. This piece of writing highlights how there should be awareness when designing and curating, to allow safety for all when exploring the content at hand, particularly when sensitive and expletive. The conclusion was an exhibition design concept for Seaton Delaval Hall to retell the Delaval women's histories within a safe space.
Developing into reality in the form of 'Mistold Stories', where the histories and narratives of the women are retold through the letters they wrote. The exhibition starts with an overview, leading into the Tapestry Room of the Hall showing portraits of the women with a brief overview of their personal history and their handwritten letters - expanding further away from who they married and birthed.
Off this room there is the turret room, behind a secret door where visitors can enter one by one to listen to the recordings of the letters whilst overlooking high over the gardens. Individuals have the opportunity to take their time to listen to the recordings in complete privacy and safety.
Part of the Rising Stars project, a partnership between the National Trust and Northumbria University, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
