Museum in Docklands, London
It is entirely appropriate that an exhibition on slavery should be in a former sugar warehouse in what was once the world's fourth-largest port. The docks and warehouses of West India Quay were built by those who made their wealth from the trade in sugar and people.
The complex represents a corner of the triangle of trade that linked Europe with Africa and the Americas, and every ship carrying sugar to London once stopped here.
Making my way to the museum through the stylish concrete and glass landscape that constitutes today's business district, it is difficult to imagine the ships queuing to unload their sweet cargo while slave chains rattled in the decks below.
The building is now an important site of memory for the African diaspora and has been listed for protection. The exhibition designers have therefore created a free-standing, modular display to allow the brick and timber interior to remain visible.
One of the physical challenges faced by the museum was how to fit the new exhibition into the existing chronological galleries. This was achieved by identifying a section where existing content could be removed and integrated into the new set-works.
The result is a 300 sq-metre space in which, although some elements feel a little squeezed, provides adequate room for the narrative to develop while allowing a generous central area for a son et lumière presentation and group teaching sessions.
The new exhibition is preceded by the display of an 18th-century gibbet cage formerly used for the execution of pirates. This gruesome contraption sets the scene for a story about a lack of compassion for human life.
From the start we are told how greed lay at the heart of the triangular trade. The rush to accumulate wealth resulted in the destruction of societies and tribal communities throughout west Africa, from which the world has yet to recover.
To justify such treatment, African people were debased in European and North American minds through deliberate misinformation and ignorance. For example, African archaeological remains were either destroyed or manipulated by European explorers to remove evidence of sophisticated societies.
The British Museum has loaned some sculpted metal heads dating from 1100-1400 to illustrate the proficiency of indigenous craftsmanship before European contact.
The exhibition uses a variety of techniques to challenge our perceptions of the history of the British empire. It draws on recent research to show how London inserted itself into the centre of the transatlantic slave trade during the 18th and 19th centuries and examines how this shaped the city we know today.
Although the curators do not shy away from using emotive and often shocking material, the challenge is how to interpret this in a balanced yet culturally sensitive way without diluting the message.
Stimulating reactions
There were times when I found the tone of the narrative unremitting in its sense of urgency to deliver difficult information. Although every artefact and supporting text was thoughtfully chosen, I began to feel overwhelmed by the gravitas of the subject before I had even got halfway through the exhibition.
At one stage, I found myself engrossed in a fascinating display on sugar production. I realised one of the reasons I had been drawn towards the topic was because it allowed a few moments contemplation on a particular process (turning cane into conical sugar loaves) rather than on the impact of that process (the dangers of working in a sugar boiling house).
Of course, the real proof of success with any new display is the reaction of the audience. On the cold wet Sunday morning of my visit, the gallery thronged with people of all ages and backgrounds. I enjoyed seeing a young black Londoner use a computer interactive to explain his family history to a friend.
The interactive gives timelines and historical details on individual Caribbean islands. The information on St Kitts struck a chord with the man as he recalled various things about his grandfather's life.
The museum takes obvious pride in the work it does with local community groups and a sense of collaboration is palpable throughout the whole gallery.
An introductory film called This is Your History is an impressive visual mix of contemporary footage showing landmarks from the transatlantic trade triangle, stills of artefacts associated with the trade, and clips of people involved with community projects who speak the words of the former slave and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano.
A museum may not have the power to change the world on its own, but it can certainly help raise awareness and encourage people to be inquisitive about their past.
For Colin Prescod, the chair of the Institute of Race Relations and one of the advisers on this project, his biggest hope is that the various activities connected with the 2007 commemorations will constitute a watershed in British cultural history.
Although he acknowledges that there is no right way to tackle these issues because answers are still evolving, he expects the results to continue to reverberate well into the future.
Meanwhile, on the quayside directly outside the museum entrance stands a statue of Robert Milligan, a wealthy ship-owner and sugar plantation manager who was largely responsible for the construction of the docks, completed in 1802.
He was also a key figure in sustaining the slave trade. The lessons of 2007 may still have a long way to go before the world becomes a better place, but the Museum in Docklands has made a grand gesture towards setting the record straight. As a finale to its exhibition, it has wrapped Milligan's effigy in black cloth.
Maria Blyzinsky is the acting head of exhibitions at the National Maritime Museum, London
Project data
Cost: £736,000
Main funders: Heritage Lottery Fund, £506,000, Renaissance in the Regions £230,000
Exhibition design: At Large
It is entirely appropriate that an exhibition on slavery should be in a former sugar warehouse in what was once the world's fourth-largest port. The docks and warehouses of West India Quay were built by those who made their wealth from the trade in sugar and people.
The complex represents a corner of the triangle of trade that linked Europe with Africa and the Americas, and every ship carrying sugar to London once stopped here.
Making my way to the museum through the stylish concrete and glass landscape that constitutes today's business district, it is difficult to imagine the ships queuing to unload their sweet cargo while slave chains rattled in the decks below.
The building is now an important site of memory for the African diaspora and has been listed for protection. The exhibition designers have therefore created a free-standing, modular display to allow the brick and timber interior to remain visible.
One of the physical challenges faced by the museum was how to fit the new exhibition into the existing chronological galleries. This was achieved by identifying a section where existing content could be removed and integrated into the new set-works.
The result is a 300 sq-metre space in which, although some elements feel a little squeezed, provides adequate room for the narrative to develop while allowing a generous central area for a son et lumière presentation and group teaching sessions.
The new exhibition is preceded by the display of an 18th-century gibbet cage formerly used for the execution of pirates. This gruesome contraption sets the scene for a story about a lack of compassion for human life.
From the start we are told how greed lay at the heart of the triangular trade. The rush to accumulate wealth resulted in the destruction of societies and tribal communities throughout west Africa, from which the world has yet to recover.
To justify such treatment, African people were debased in European and North American minds through deliberate misinformation and ignorance. For example, African archaeological remains were either destroyed or manipulated by European explorers to remove evidence of sophisticated societies.
The British Museum has loaned some sculpted metal heads dating from 1100-1400 to illustrate the proficiency of indigenous craftsmanship before European contact.
The exhibition uses a variety of techniques to challenge our perceptions of the history of the British empire. It draws on recent research to show how London inserted itself into the centre of the transatlantic slave trade during the 18th and 19th centuries and examines how this shaped the city we know today.
Although the curators do not shy away from using emotive and often shocking material, the challenge is how to interpret this in a balanced yet culturally sensitive way without diluting the message.
Stimulating reactions
There were times when I found the tone of the narrative unremitting in its sense of urgency to deliver difficult information. Although every artefact and supporting text was thoughtfully chosen, I began to feel overwhelmed by the gravitas of the subject before I had even got halfway through the exhibition.
At one stage, I found myself engrossed in a fascinating display on sugar production. I realised one of the reasons I had been drawn towards the topic was because it allowed a few moments contemplation on a particular process (turning cane into conical sugar loaves) rather than on the impact of that process (the dangers of working in a sugar boiling house).
Of course, the real proof of success with any new display is the reaction of the audience. On the cold wet Sunday morning of my visit, the gallery thronged with people of all ages and backgrounds. I enjoyed seeing a young black Londoner use a computer interactive to explain his family history to a friend.
The interactive gives timelines and historical details on individual Caribbean islands. The information on St Kitts struck a chord with the man as he recalled various things about his grandfather's life.
The museum takes obvious pride in the work it does with local community groups and a sense of collaboration is palpable throughout the whole gallery.
An introductory film called This is Your History is an impressive visual mix of contemporary footage showing landmarks from the transatlantic trade triangle, stills of artefacts associated with the trade, and clips of people involved with community projects who speak the words of the former slave and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano.
A museum may not have the power to change the world on its own, but it can certainly help raise awareness and encourage people to be inquisitive about their past.
For Colin Prescod, the chair of the Institute of Race Relations and one of the advisers on this project, his biggest hope is that the various activities connected with the 2007 commemorations will constitute a watershed in British cultural history.
Although he acknowledges that there is no right way to tackle these issues because answers are still evolving, he expects the results to continue to reverberate well into the future.
Meanwhile, on the quayside directly outside the museum entrance stands a statue of Robert Milligan, a wealthy ship-owner and sugar plantation manager who was largely responsible for the construction of the docks, completed in 1802.
He was also a key figure in sustaining the slave trade. The lessons of 2007 may still have a long way to go before the world becomes a better place, but the Museum in Docklands has made a grand gesture towards setting the record straight. As a finale to its exhibition, it has wrapped Milligan's effigy in black cloth.
Maria Blyzinsky is the acting head of exhibitions at the National Maritime Museum, London
Project data
Cost: £736,000
Main funders: Heritage Lottery Fund, £506,000, Renaissance in the Regions £230,000
Exhibition design: At Large
