Exposed
Exposure is a multifaceted emotion which comes in many forms. Feeling vulnerable and out of your comfort zone. Fearing an invasion of privacy resulting in discomfort. Illuminating history regardless of unsettling it may be.
We picked this emotion because it is not an emotion we embrace everyday. It explores feelings of fear through an alternative lens. Further, we thought it was important to explore a more candid view of history.
By Lydia, Hildegarde and Jessica.
Yellow Star Badge
Star
A yellow star of David used to mark out and identify Jews by the Nazis. This particular badge marked “Jood” (Jew) was worn by Barnett Greenman and from April 1942 was a requirement for all Dutch Jews over the age of six to wear.
Marks of identification like this exposed Jewish people and removed their right to any privacy of religion. It was a branding of shame and humiliation intending to dehumanise the Jewish population similar to the earlier Medieval Tabulas used to distinguish new migrant Jews in England.
Can you think of any examples of religious symbols being weaponised against members of that religious community today?
Lydia, Year 12
Hildegarde, Year 12
Jessica, Year 10
Velvet Amulet
An embroidered amulet for the protection against the Evil Eye during childbirth. Framed on a red velvet background and embellished with gold and silver thread. This piece was used to save the mother and child from demons.
I chose this object as I believed it represented the negative exposure to demonic ideas that come with religion. This object represents the fearful nature that can be experienced through religion.
Do you feel exposed while looking at artefacts of things people fear?
Jessica, Year 10
Flyer
This is a black and white printed flyer for an event organised by the Anti Nazi League on Holocaust Denial and advertising Leon Greenman dating from the 1990s. The event took place at the Cumberland Hotel in Bournemouth and held prominent speakers such as Harry Cohen MP and Tony Kearns as speakers.
The flyer highlights the issues of Holocaust denial when – out of shame and continued antisemitism – testimonies of survivors and Nazi prosecution are silenced. Exposing and addressing these atrocities no matter how uncomfortable is the only way to ensure such events are never repeated.
How can we shed light on the atrocities of the Holocaust without ignoring or removing the ability to celebrate Jewish culture?
Hildegarde, Year 12
Toy
This small baby doll wearing a knitted outfit: white top, pink shorts and one white sock was brought by Edith Rothschild on the Kindertransport. She ‘smuggled’ it into her luggage as her mother had told her that she was too old for dolls. The doll’s features and hair are painted on.
There is an intimate and personal insight into the life of this child evoked through this object that embodies the feelings of vulnerability that the emotion ‘exposed’ evokes. Notice the missing sock and the chipped off paint on the child’s face and you as a viewer are transported back into time to join the journey of Edith Rothschild herself. This incredibly personal item displayed for thousands of people to view everyday symbolises this exposed feeling, viewers are invited to imagine the ragged and worn toys of their childhood being on display for just as many people to see.
If you had to pick an object to tell thousands of people the story of your childhood, what would you choose and how would it make you feel?
Lydia, Year 12
