Decontextualise to Decolonise
Decontextualise to Decolonise is a student-and-staff co-produced initiative from the Interior Architecture course at the University of Brighton. This project reimagines how artefacts are framed, experienced, and understood in museums, challenging conventional narratives and exploring new ways of presenting cultural heritage. Developed in collaboration with Brighton Museum & Art Gallery and aligning with Brighton & Hove Museums’ decolonisation and culture change initiatives, this project brings together students as partners in re-presenting artefacts.
Through an Interior Architecture lens, students use drawing, digital media, and spatial design techniques to liberate artefacts from static museum displays, imagining them in new spaces and roles beyond institutional confines.
A Co-Produced Initiative
This project was initiated under the expertise of Dr. Zakkiya Khan and Terry Meade at the University of Brighton, who compiled the brief guiding students in their critical engagement with artefact display and decolonial spatial practice. Niamh Rutter and Simone La Corbiniere from the Culture Change department worked collaboratively with the Interior Architecture BA(Hons) course on this project.
The collaboration with Brighton & Hove Museums began in August 2024 and culminated in a QR code trail which started running in March 2025.
Decontextualise to Decolonise Artefact Trail at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
This QR code trail was installed in Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, allowing visitors to explore student-led interpretations situated alongside the original artefacts. Each QR code links to a digital re-presentation, offering alternative perspectives on ownership, memory, and meaning, challenging how these objects are traditionally framed.
The objects
