The inspiration
For more than a decade the Museum of London has been recording the memories of Londoners. Its oral history collection now contains thousands of hours of taped interviews. These feature a wide variety of people who have lived and worked in London and who talk about their lives and everyday experiences. In this way the Museum is building up a detailed and lasting picture of life in the 20th and 21st century city.
This collection of life stories and memories was the inspiration for Colour Contacts.Vipul Sangoi, Anusha Subramanyam and Sarra Whicheloe immersed themselves in the collection, listening, reading, talking. It was the first time that artists had been invited to explore the Museum’s oral history collection and they approached it from a new perspective. Drawing out voices and experiences, they created a performance that both presents individual stories and reflects the multitude of people who have shared their personal histories with the Museum.
