World Stories

Culture defines who we are, bringing people together and connecting the past to the present. In this gallery, which was developed in partnership with young people from Brighton & Hove, we focus on seven ‘world stories’ from parts of the globe linked to our extensive World Art collection. Items on display include clothing, sculpture, artworks and film.

Football, friendship and faith

The stories include Football in Brighton and Bamako, in which young people from both cities share their love of the game and explore the way it provides common ground between groups of friends as well as nations. In My Journey in Islam: From Brighton to Makka, a local group of young Muslims use personal items and film to examine the Five Pillars of Islam, and the way their faith is incorporated into their everyday lives.

Historic carved ivories, tools and equipment from northern Canada and Alaska are displayed alongside contemporary art in Arctic Worlds, revealing how life is changing for Indigenous Arctic communities. For this display, Inuit Elders responded to images of objects from our collections, while students from Patcham High School in Brighton created an animation about hunting and living on the land. In Iranian Identity through Words and Art, young Iranians worked with museum curators to choose modern artworks, carved wooden pieces and decorative tiles to illustrate the importance of calligraphy in Iranian art and culture.

Activities for families and children

We have created a gallery trail for families and you’ll also find objects that can be touched and replica costumes that can be tried on, including a reproduction of a Kachin traditional dress from Burma (Myanmar). Transcripts are available for all sound and film material, and audio recordings of young people talking about the objects on display can be accessed using a smartphone.