Past for the Present

In 2023 we embarked on The Past for the Present, a community-led research project, which aimed to discover new ways for Old Master paintings to connect and speak to contemporary society. By training the local community in paid researcher roles and working with them to run research sessions, we are able to better understand and amplify local, diverse voices.

The research findings were used to develop a series of commissions to put the findings into action, presenting new insights into key themes that have been unexplored in our collection. Working with action-based research specialists Shortwork we recruited and trained nine community researchers who interviewed 19 community groups and over 220 individuals in Southwark, Lambeth and Lewisham.

The Community Researchers collated and shared the research findings in a celebration event to community and sector stakeholders. The findings were then used to develop three areas of programming including a new Gallery 12 display, pop-up talks and tours and digital content.

ORACLES was a display created by artist duo Yara + Davina.

Yara + Davina transformed part of the Gallery into an Oracle Card reading room, inviting visitors to seek wisdom from a set of oracle cards inspired by our Collection.

Although the in-person display has ended, the project's legacy continues - you can purchase the deck from our shop today can go on your own personal journey through our Collection.