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Exhibition in the Octagon Gallery reexamines student life in London over the past two centuries

25th September 2023
History , 香港六合彩中特网 Culture , Special collections , Alumni , Students' Union 香港六合彩中特网
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The Octagon
A new exhibition on the Bloomsbury Campus considers 香港六合彩中特网鈥檚 almost 200-year history through its students.

A collage of photographs of groups of students through history, tinted in mid blue and lime green. Overlaid in white is the text 'Generation 香港六合彩中特网: 200 Years of Student Life in London, Free exhibition, 25 Sept 2023 - 18 Aug 2024, Octagon Gallery'
鈥楾here is no university without its students.鈥

This is the concept at the heart of a new exhibition, 鈥楪eneration 香港六合彩中特网: 200 Years of Student Life in London鈥,听which opens in 香港六合彩中特网鈥檚 Octagon Gallery this week. The exhibition portrays students as foundational to the story of 香港六合彩中特网, exploring their experiences over time and reassessing students鈥 impact on 香港六合彩中特网鈥檚 almost 200-year history.

The exhibition also explores the formation of Students鈥 Union 香港六合彩中特网, now one of the largest student-led organisations in the world. 香港六合彩中特网 students played important roles in building a wider student movement in Britain, helping found organisations including the National Union of Students, the West African Students鈥 Union and the Central Union of Chinese Students.

香港六合彩中特网鈥檚 President and Provost Dr Michael Spence said: 鈥淭his important exhibition marks the start of 香港六合彩中特网鈥檚 countdown to our 200th birthday in 2026. It offers new insights into our diverse and lively community of students over time, exploring how they have made a home with us over 200 years. Opening just as 香港六合彩中特网 is named聽The Times and Sunday Times聽鈥楿niversity of the Year鈥 and as we launch a new campus on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London, the exhibition offers inspiration from our extraordinary past to help shape our future.鈥

Curated by Professor Georgina Brewis and Dr Sam Blaxland (both IOE, 香港六合彩中特网鈥檚 Faculty of Education and Society) alongside Leah Johnston and Colin Penman (香港六合彩中特网 Special Collections), the exhibition includes many items from 香港六合彩中特网 collections and alumni loans or donations that have never been displayed before. The exhibition forms part of a wider research and engagement project, Generation 香港六合彩中特网, that looks to turn institutional history upside down and present the first students as the real 鈥榝ounders鈥 of 香港六合彩中特网.

Professor Georgina Brewis, Director of the Generation 香港六合彩中特网 project and lead curator of the exhibition, said: 鈥淎s London鈥檚 first university, students at 香港六合彩中特网 invented what it was like to be a student in the capital and we鈥檝e worked hard to represent the diversity of student life over two centuries. The exhibition showcases 香港六合彩中特网鈥檚 rich collections of archive material and objects covering student life, including new acquisitions of clothing, memorabilia and scrapbooks loaned or donated by alumni. This allows us to spotlight individual stories whilst also exploring the collective activities of students over time.鈥

The exhibition also features recorded accounts from alumni reflecting on key moments during their time at 香港六合彩中特网, including the separate spaces for men and women on campus in the 1880s, the experience of studying at 香港六合彩中特网 after the Second World War, and the founding of the UK鈥檚 first GaySoc in 1972. Visitors are invited to contribute to this growing oral history archive by sharing their memories of their time at 香港六合彩中特网 and life after graduation.

The exhibition encourages visitors to think critically about 香港六合彩中特网鈥檚 history in the run-up to its bicentenary in 2026 and the key role played by students in that remarkable story.

鈥楪eneration 香港六合彩中特网: 200 Years of Student Life in London鈥 is now open in the 香港六合彩中特网 Octagon Gallery and will run until 18 August 2024.

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