Fingerprints

Every object in the Ashmolean has passed from hand to hand to reach the Museum. In a new podcast, we uncover the invisible fingerprints left behind by makers, looters, archaeologists, soldiers, rulers, curators, and many more. These stories of touch reveal the ways in which the forces of conflict and colonialism have shaped Britain’s oldest Museum. Join the Ashmolean’s curators alongside artists, experts, and community members, for our new podcast: Fingerprints.Fingerprints will be released on the Ashmolean’s website, on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts, weekly from  21 January 2022 until 25 February 2022.Fingerprints is produced and hosted by Lucie Dawkins. Guests include Bénédicte Savoy, co-author of the Report on African Cultural Heritage, commissioned by Emmanuel Macron; Professor Dan Hicks, of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum; and Simukai Chigudu, one of the founding members of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign.--- Transcript for this trailer ---Voice 1: Every object in the Ashmolean has passed from hand to hand to reach the Museum. In a new podcast, we uncover the invisible fingerprints left behind by makers, looters, archaeologists, soldiers, rulers, curators, and many more.These stories of touch reveal the ways in which the forces of conflict and colonialism have shaped Britain’s oldest Museum.Join the Ashmolean’s curators alongside artists, experts, and community members, for our new podcast: Fingerprints.Voice 2: It was magical to touch the impressions of someone’s hand, who may have made this piece thousands of years ago.Voice 3: There’s a large gouge from the front of the statue of the pick that the Indian soldier had been using to dig his trench.Voice 4: Those are signifiers and messages that are embedded, are hidden in them for each generation. So, their importance can never be underestimated even though they have been removed from where they were created.Voice 5: It’s obvious that it’s the face of the human figure that has been scratched out.Voice 6: One of the main attractions was the live display of 34 human beings who were transported from India.Voice 7: So they’d suggests bribing a local Imam to say that the sculptures are against the tenets of Islam.Voice 8: Although some of these stories can be uncomfortable they’re also vital. They’re stories which connect us to a vast global web of human experiences that allow the objects to speak to us in different ways and with different voices. Voice 9: Because museums are very political places.Voice 1: So, watch out for Fingerprints on the Ashmolean’s website, on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts, for weekly releases from the 21st of January.

Fingerprints Episode 1Join the Ashmolean Museum’s director, Xa Sturgis, as he questions what a museum is for. He introduces us to Powhatan’s Mantle, one of the museum’s founding objects, and one inextricably linked with British colonial history. From there, he traces the Ashmolean’s story to the present day, as special guests explore how we can transform an uncomfortable past into a more positive future. Find a transcript of this episode hereRead moreSee Powhatan’s Mantle hereFind out more about Oxford University’s procedures about the return of cultural objects hereSpeakers in this episode:Series host: Lucie Dawkins, Director & Producer, Ashmolean MuseumXa Sturgis, Director of the Ashmolean MuseumSumaya Kassim, writer, curator and museum-scepticReyahn King, CEO of York Museums TrustDr Laura van Broekhoven, Director of the Pitt Rivers Museum, OxfordMustafa Barcho, Oxford-Middle East Community Ambassador, Ashmolean MuseumMarenka Thompson-Odlum, Researcher, Pitt RiversNicola Bird, Community Engagement Officer, Oxford's Gardens, Libraries and MuseumsAbout the Fingerprints podcastEvery object in the Ashmolean has passed from hand to hand to reach the Museum. In a new podcast, we uncover the invisible fingerprints left behind by makers, looters, archaeologists, soldiers, rulers, curators, and many more. These stories of touch reveal the ways in which the forces of conflict and colonialism have shaped Britain’s oldest Museum. Join the Ashmolean’s curators alongside artists, experts, and community members, for our new podcast: Fingerprints.Fingerprints will be released on the Ashmolean’s website, on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts, weekly from  21 January 2022 until 25 February 2022.Fingerprints is produced and hosted by Lucie Dawkins. Guests include Bénédicte Savoy, co-author of the Report on African Cultural Heritage, commissioned by Emmanuel Macron; Professor Dan Hicks, of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum; and Simukai Chigudu, one of the founding members of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign.www.ashmolean.org/fingerprints

Fingerprints Episode 2Dan Hicks takes us on a journey with three bronze masks from the West African city of Benin, through the hands of soldiers, collectors, and curators, and along with special guests considers the responsibility that European museums have towards looted art in their collections. Find a transcript of this episode hereRead moreView the masks spoken about in the episode hereRead the Pitt Rivers’ interim report on the provenance of African cultural heritage in their collection here Find out more about the Benin Bronzes and the Benin Dialogue Group hereFind out more about Oxford University’s procedures about the return of cultural objects hereAnd find more about Dan Hicks' book, The Brutish MuseumsSpeakers in this episode:Series host: Lucie Dawkins, Director & Producer, Ashmolean MuseumXa Sturgis, Director of the Ashmolean MuseumSimukai Chigudu, Professor of African Politics, University of Oxford and founding member of Rhodes Must FallDan Hicks, Professor of Contemporary Archaeology, Pitt Rivers Museum, OxfordVictor Ehikhamenor, artistAdenike Cosgrove, collector and historian of African Art HistorianProfessor Bénédicte Savoy, art historian and co-author of the report, The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage commissioned by President Emmanuel MacronAbout the Fingerprints podcastEvery object in the Ashmolean has passed from hand to hand to reach the Museum. In a new podcast, we uncover the invisible fingerprints left behind by makers, looters, archaeologists, soldiers, rulers, curators, and many more. These stories of touch reveal the ways in which the forces of conflict and colonialism have shaped Britain’s oldest Museum. Join the Ashmolean’s curators alongside artists, experts, and community members, for our new podcast: Fingerprints.Fingerprints will be released on the Ashmolean’s website, on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts, weekly from  21 January 2022 until 25 February 2022.Fingerprints is produced and hosted by Lucie Dawkins. Guests include Bénédicte Savoy, co-author of the Report on African Cultural Heritage, commissioned by Emmanuel Macron; Professor Dan Hicks, of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum; and Simukai Chigudu, one of the founding members of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign.www.ashmolean.org/fingerprints

Fingerprints Episode 3Mallica Kumbera Landrus, the Ashmolean’s Keeper of Eastern Art, takes us on a journey with 200 clay figures from India, displayed alongside a human zoo at the Colonial and India Exhibition of 1886, and later used to teach young British colonial officers at Oxford’s Indian Institute. Find a transcript of this episode hereRead moreView images of some of the sculptures mentioned in the episode hereFind out more about Ali Kazim’s exhibition at the Ashmolean hereSpeakers in this episode:Series host: Lucie Dawkins, Director & Producer, Ashmolean MuseumProfessor Mallica Kumbera Landrus, Keeper of Eastern Art at the AshmoleanAli Kazim, one of Pakistan’s leading contemporary artists whose work will be on show in the Ashmolean from 7 February 2022Dr Nayanika Mathur, Associate Professor in the Anthropology of South Asia, University of OxfordAbout the Fingerprints podcastEvery object in the Ashmolean has passed from hand to hand to reach the Museum. In a new podcast, we uncover the invisible fingerprints left behind by makers, looters, archaeologists, soldiers, rulers, curators, and many more. These stories of touch reveal the ways in which the forces of conflict and colonialism have shaped Britain’s oldest Museum. Join the Ashmolean’s curators alongside artists, experts, and community members, for our new podcast: Fingerprints.Fingerprints will be released on the Ashmolean’s website, on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts, weekly from  21 January 2022 until 25 February 2022.Fingerprints is produced and hosted by Lucie Dawkins. Guests include Bénédicte Savoy, co-author of the Report on African Cultural Heritage, commissioned by Emmanuel Macron; Professor Dan Hicks, of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum; and Simukai Chigudu, one of the founding members of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign.www.ashmolean.org/fingerprints

Fingerprints Episode 4Curator Paul Collins takes us on a journey with a 3000 year old king uncovered by an Indian soldier digging a trench in World War I, and explore what he has to tell us about the formation of Iraq as a nation state. Find a transcript of this episode hereRead moreRead more about the sculpture here or see an image hereSpeakers in this episode:Series host: Lucie Dawkins, Director & Producer, Ashmolean MuseumDr Paul Collins, Curator of the Ancient Middle East, Ashmolean MuseumSantanu Das, Professor of Modern Literature and Culture, University of OxfordDr Mehiyar Kathem, Nahrein Network, UCL and Oxford, Researcher on cultural heritage in contemporary IraqAbout the Fingerprints podcastEvery object in the Ashmolean has passed from hand to hand to reach the Museum. In a new podcast, we uncover the invisible fingerprints left behind by makers, looters, archaeologists, soldiers, rulers, curators, and many more. These stories of touch reveal the ways in which the forces of conflict and colonialism have shaped Britain’s oldest Museum. Join the Ashmolean’s curators alongside artists, experts, and community members, for our new podcast: Fingerprints.Fingerprints will be released on the Ashmolean’s website, on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts, weekly from  21 January 2022 until 25 February 2022.Fingerprints is produced and hosted by Lucie Dawkins. Guests include Bénédicte Savoy, co-author of the Report on African Cultural Heritage, commissioned by Emmanuel Macron; Professor Dan Hicks, of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum; and Simukai Chigudu, one of the founding members of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign.www.ashmolean.org/fingerprints

Fingerprints Episode 5Curator Andrew Shapland shows us a tiny fragment which reveals the story of the man who set out to hunt down the mythical minotaur. Sir Arthur Evans went on to become known as the father of archaeology, but his journey reveals a culture war between empires in the Mediterranean. Find a transcript of this episode hereRead moreRead more about the fragment here or view an image hereSpeakers in this episode:Series host: Lucie Dawkins, Director & Producer, Ashmolean MuseumDr Andrew Shapland, Curator of Bronze Age & Classical GreeceDr Lucia Patrizio Gunning, Modern Historian, UCLDr Antonis Kotsonas, Associate Professor of Mediterranean History and ArchaeologyDr Lisa Bendall, Associate Professor in Aegean Prehistory, University of OxfordDr Athanasia Kanta, archaeologistWith the voice of Jonathan Aris as Arthur EvansAbout the Fingerprints podcastEvery object in the Ashmolean has passed from hand to hand to reach the Museum. In a new podcast, we uncover the invisible fingerprints left behind by makers, looters, archaeologists, soldiers, rulers, curators, and many more. These stories of touch reveal the ways in which the forces of conflict and colonialism have shaped Britain’s oldest Museum. Join the Ashmolean’s curators alongside artists, experts, and community members, for our new podcast: Fingerprints.Fingerprints will be released on the Ashmolean’s website, on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts, weekly from  21 January 2022 until 25 February 2022.Fingerprints is produced and hosted by Lucie Dawkins. Guests include Bénédicte Savoy, co-author of the Report on African Cultural Heritage, commissioned by Emmanuel Macron; Professor Dan Hicks, of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum; and Simukai Chigudu, one of the founding members of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign.www.ashmolean.org/fingerprints

Fingerprints Episode 6The country’s first major art and antiquities collection now sits in the Ashmolean Museum. It reveals untold stories from the ancient world including shipwrecks, competitively collecting, underhand dealings and how classical art was used by aristocrats at the royal court to boost their status and standing. Join lecturer Alison Pollard, as she takes you on a journey which spans over 2000 years. Find a transcript of this episode hereRead moreRead about the Arundel marbles hereSpeakers in this episode:Series host: Lucie Dawkins, Director & Producer, Ashmolean MuseumDr Alison Pollard, Lecturer in Classical Archaeology, University of OxfordProfessor Peter Stewart, Director of the Classical Art Research Centre, University of OxfordJaś Elsner, Professor of Classics and Art History, University of OxfordPhiroze Vasunia, Professor of Greek, UCLAbout the Fingerprints podcastEvery object in the Ashmolean has passed from hand to hand to reach the Museum. In a new podcast, we uncover the invisible fingerprints left behind by makers, looters, archaeologists, soldiers, rulers, curators, and many more. These stories of touch reveal the ways in which the forces of conflict and colonialism have shaped Britain’s oldest Museum. Join the Ashmolean’s curators alongside artists, experts, and community members, for our new podcast: Fingerprints.Fingerprints will be released on the Ashmolean’s website, on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts, weekly from  21 January 2022 until 25 February 2022.Fingerprints is produced and hosted by Lucie Dawkins. Guests include Bénédicte Savoy, co-author of the Report on African Cultural Heritage, commissioned by Emmanuel Macron; Professor Dan Hicks, of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum; and Simukai Chigudu, one of the founding members of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign.www.ashmolean.org/fingerprints