The Britishness Project

Firstsite, Colchester, is delighted to present The Britishness Project, a groundbreaking exhibition that investigates notions of Britishness through art making.

The show, which was initiated by the gallery, is the result of a collaboration between Essex schoolchildren and eight professional artists, each of whom undertook residencies in schools and education organisations in Colchester, Harlow and Harwich between September and December 2017.

By inviting young people – the pupils' ages range from eight to seventeen – the exhibition aims to generate wide-ranging conversations about the shifting social, geographic and political identity of Britain, revealing issues that affect young people, especially in the context of the 2016 European Referendum.

The assembled works include collage, stop-motion animation, sculpture and photography, and engage with ideas of identity, landscape, sub-culture, democracy and political voice.

Says Firstsite Director Sally Shaw: ‘For many people, the European Referendum was an opportunity for us to express our views on national identity. It was a hugely controversial decision that has many far-reaching implications, not least for the youngest members of our community.

At Firstsite, through The Britishness Project, we have made an opportunity for young people to make their opinions visible in the form of artworks, performances and curated objects from our fabulous local museum collections. This vibrant and at times equally controversial exhibition puts these opinions in the public realm, allowing them to be tested, challenged and celebrated.

Firstsite is building its reputation as a place where the most critical issues of our times can be creatively explored and re-examined from a number of fresh perspectives and in a safe environment that promotes equality, diversity and inclusion. The Britishness Project is, without doubt, a very living example of what that ambition means.’

The Britishness Project is supported by a series of programmed events to encourage more comprehensive debate on issues of identity, citizenship and community, as well as the role of the arts in education. 

The exhibition has been made possible by the generous support of the Garfield Weston Foundation.