Shining a light on queer stories across museums

Museums are homes to many things, be it art, science or history. But perhaps most importantly, they are the homes of stories. Some stories are obvious – they were intended to be told. However others are hidden, requiring you to dig deeper to uncover them. Queer stories are notoriously left out of museum narratives, whether purposefully or accidentally, but are beginning to be brought out into the light.

Josh Davis (Natural History Museum), Dan Vo (Victoria & Albert Museum) and Laura Bullesbach and Rebecca Mellor (Science Museum Group) are working to tell these stories. From one of the V&A’s greatest treasures, Giambologna’s Samson Slaying a Philistine, being a gift to a King’s male lover, to the gay man described as the ‘father of paleobiology’, to the terms related to the gender binary used widely in electronics and engineering, queer narratives can be found across the museums.

But how does telling these stories differ between different museums? And what else can be done to bring these stories to light? Come listen to Josh, Dan, Laura and Rebecca as they take you on a journey through the queer looking glass.

This event is part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival: Trailblazers.

Please arrive 10 minutes before the event begins. If you arrive after this time, your ticket may be reallocated.

Great Exhibition Road Festival: Trailblazers

18-19 June 2022

Join us in South Kensington this summer to enjoy a free weekend of events for all ages and celebrate trailblazing ideas in science and the arts.

Enjoy hands-on workshops, fascinating talks, performances and installations from museums, research and culture organisations in South Kensington, including Imperial College London, the Natural History Museum, Royal College of Music, Science Museum, V&A and many more!

Find out more about the Festival and see the full programme on the Festival website at www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk.