Collecting GHT Stories

Exhibitions

Friday 27th August 10:00am – Sunday 5th September 2021 4:00pm

God's House Tower, Town Quay Road, Southampton, SO14 2NY

Collecting GHT Stories is a living and evolving archive of stories and memories of this historic building.

Although the building itself stood empty since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020, there was a flurry of activity behind the scenes at GHT. A new programme of activities, talks and workshops delivered via Zoom offered communities a chance to remain connected and creative during a very difficult time. Though the doors to GHT remained shut, participants were able to continue learning about the building’s history, exploring its stories and creating new narratives.

In monthly sessions facilitated by Nazneen Ahmed, the Southampton Creative Histories Writing Group discussed and unpicked some of the fascinating moments in GHT’s history and the thousands of people who have passed through the building over the last 700 years. Through reimagining the voice of the tower and sharing ideas and processes, the group explored the building’s identity through its various lives and uses; from gun battery to prison, warehouse, museum and its current use as a home for creative communities.

Outcomes from these sessions such as poems and prose were exhibited in the Project Space.

The audio played in the gallery was from a series of conversations between people who have worked in the building, artists who have had residencies here and our dedicated team of volunteers. The project offered participants a chance to reconnect and share memories of the building and their time spent here. 

This is a living and evolving archive of stories and memories of GHT which will grow overtime as we welcome the public back into the building and embark on a new chapter.

 

Facilitators: 

Nazneen Ahmed

Imogen Marooney

Kelly McZenzie-Sinclair