Royal Museums Greenwich

Royal Museums Greenwich

by NMM Engagement Team

Arts Society & Culture Documentary

Season 2

Seeing Ourselves 2 - EP1 The First Series in Review at the Collection Store

To kick off the second series, podcast host Sharon Walters is joined by Serena Lee and Fiona Compton. They review the outcomes of the first series and how impactful change is being made to reshape how stories are told as a result of the podcast. This episode is recorded at the collections Store and they look at a Georgian snuff box which references blackness through an image featured on the inside lid. Serena Lee @georgiandiaspora Fiona Compton @knowyourcaribbean Sharon Walters @london_artist1 Find out about the objects mentioned in the episode here

Season 1

Home + Land - EP6 - Mapping Memory: Art, Migration, and the Indian Ocean

With Naiza Khan What stories do maps and charts hold? Artist Naiza Khan selects four objects from the museum archives, bringing an artist’s lens to navigational tools and historical documents. This episode explores migration through an Indian Ocean monthly current chart, the artist’s interpretation of invasion in The Bombardment of Alexandria (1882), the symbolism of a 1956–57 Suez Canal medal, and the art of etching in a sketch of The Prince of Wales—an East India Company ship lost in a storm in 1804. Naiza Khan is a visual artist working between London and Karachi. Trained at the Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford, she examines colonial history, geography, and collective memory in her multidisciplinary practice. Find out more here: rmg.co.uk/stories/art-culture/home-land-podcast

Home + Land - EP5 - Portraits, Pride, and the Past

With Azara Jaleel While in Sri Lanka, Mehala invites Azara Jaleel to examine a portrait photograph titled Ceylonese Man. The image—featuring a gentleman in a striking turtle-shell headdress—remains shrouded in mystery. This episode unpacks the significance of formal portraits, the pride of past generations, and the deeper ties between dress, identity, and land. Azara Jaleel is the founder and editor-in-chief of ARTRA Magazine, Sri Lanka’s leading modern and contemporary art publication. She has led discussions on Sri Lankan art with international artists, architects, and historians. Find out more here: rmg.co.uk/stories/art-culture/home-land-podcast

Home + Land - EP4 - Zeenat Mahal: The Empress and the Exile

With Anisha Parmar Queen Zeenat Mahal, the last Empress of India, was a warrior, freedom fighter, and strategist—yet her legacy is often overshadowed by history. In this episode, Mehala and jewelry designer Anisha Parmar discuss a miniature painting of Zeenat Mahal and explore how her story continues to inspire creative work today. Anisha Parmar is a UK-based jewelry designer and cultural practitioner whose work is deeply rooted in her hybrid heritage and the diaspora experience. Find out more here: rmg.co.uk/stories/art-culture/home-land-podcast

Home + Land - EP3 - Seaside Stories: South Asian Summers in Britain

With Taran Wilkhu & Nishant Shukla The seaside holds a special place in British culture, but what does it mean for South Asian communities in the UK? In this episode, Mehala, Taran, and Nishant reflect on The Great British Seaside, a series by photographer Martin Parr, commissioned by Royal Museums Greenwich. They discuss the photographs, which capture South Asian families enjoying classic British seaside traditions, and share their own experiences of seaside trips, storytelling through photography, and the nuances of diaspora life. Taran Wilkhu is a London-based lifestyle photographer specializing in interiors, architecture, and portrait photography. Nishant Shukla is a photographer working between the UK and India, and the director of Lake Gallery in Deptford. Find out more here: rmg.co.uk/stories/art-culture/home-land-podcast

Home + Land - EP2 - Flags and Belonging

With Dee Gibson & Zaynab Zubair and Mehala Ford What does a flag mean to a nation? To its people? Mehala, Dee, and Zaynab—members of a Sri Lankan women’s creative group based in London and Sri Lanka—visit the museum archives to view the National Flag of Ceylon (1948–1951). Seeing the flag in person sparks an emotional conversation about identity, homeland, and diaspora. They reflect on how flag symbolism evolves over time and how it shapes collective memory. Find out more here: rmg.co.uk/stories/art-culture/home-land-podcast

Home + Land - EP1 - Indentured: The Hidden Labour Force

With Shalina Patel and Mehala Ford What is a ‘cooli’? After the abolition of slavery in 1833, the British replaced it with a system of indentured labour, recruiting workers from India under exploitative contracts. In this episode, historian and author, Shalina Patel, explores the realities of Indian indentured labour through a selection of objects linked by the term ‘cooli.’ Shalina is an award-winning UK teacher and historian, and author of The History Lessons, which highlights stories traditionally left out of textbooks, particularly those of women and people of colour. Find out more here: rmg.co.uk/stories/art-culture/home-land-podcast

Seeing Ourselves 1 - Ep6 - Sharon Walters & Serena Lee

The Seeing Ourselves podcast is part of a multi-disciplinary arts project conceived by London-based artist Sharon Walters AKA (@London_Artist1) on Instagram. Supported by the National Maritime Museum, through the Migration, Heritage and Belonging project, Sharon collaborates with historian Serena Lee (@Georgian Diaspora) and artist/historian Fiona Compton (@Know your Caribbean) to explore depictions of people of African descent in the museum collections. Their discussions are frank, open, and honest to offer a unique insight into how it feels to see ‘yourself’ represented and misrepresented in museum spaces.

Seeing Ourselves 1 - Ep5 - Sharon Walters & Fiona Compton

The Seeing Ourselves podcast is part of a multi-disciplinary arts project conceived by London-based artist Sharon Walters AKA (@London_Artist1) on Instagram. Supported by the National Maritime Museum, through the Migration, Heritage and Belonging project, Sharon collaborates with historian Serena Lee (@Georgian Diaspora) and artist/historian Fiona Compton (@Know your Caribbean) to explore depictions of people of African descent in the museum collections. Their discussions are frank, open, and honest to offer a unique insight into how it feels to see ‘yourself’ represented and misrepresented in museum spaces.

Seeing Ourselves 1 Ep4 - Beauty Aesthetics - Sharon Walters & Serena Lee

The Seeing Ourselves podcast is part of a multi-disciplinary arts project conceived by London-based artist Sharon Walters AKA (@London_Artist1) on Instagram. Supported by the National Maritime Museum, through the Migration, Heritage and Belonging project, Sharon collaborates with historian Serena Lee (@Georgian Diaspora) and artist/historian Fiona Compton (@Know your Caribbean) to explore depictions of people of African descent in the museum collections. Their discussions are frank, open, and honest to offer a unique insight into how it feels to see ‘yourself’ represented and misrepresented in museum spaces.

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