Seventeenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum

Abstract

In 2021 Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) uncovered new stories about Indian Army encampments at Hampton Court Palace. HRP approached a Little History of the Sikhs to advise on silhouettes of Indian soldiers and a graphic panel to accompany a remembrance installation. The installation inspired international media coverage and interest from visitors who were both fascinated and moved by the display, many of whom knew little about the Indian Army and nothing about its links with the palace. This forgotten history is now part of a brand new, radical community-led exhibition. The exhibition centres the South Asian voice, exhibition text was co-written by the HRP team and community curators. Community object lenders wrote labels, and five descendants of Indian soldiers were interviewed for a nine-minute exhibition film and portrait photographs. Soldiers’ letters were recorded and read aloud by participants in their original languages. The Indian Army at the Palace stands out for the remarkable journey it represents. It’s a testament to the power of nurturing relationships and embracing new possibilities. This exhibition was never in HRP’s forward plans. Instead, it has evolved organically through years of fostering community collaboration, and the combined HRP/community team realising there was so much more to be done with the story. What was meant to be a 1-room, 6-month exhibition turned into a 2-room, year-long exhibition with blog posts, 2 podcast episodes, social media films, a new permanent panel in the gardens and hosting Project Dastaan’s Child of Empire virtual reality experience.