Bristol pupils' exhibition exploring statue debate opens

Pupils at six Bristol schools took part in the workshops, with the results being displayed in an exhibition

An exhibition by school children exploring the statue debate has opened at Bristol Old Vic.

Six schools have been taking part in A Monumental Task, a workshop encouraging young people to discuss their shared colonial history.

The pupils' work went on display on Monday and includes their views on what to do with statues of slave traders.

One student, Lara, said the experience had given her a different perspective of the city.

In the project pupils from Bristol Brunel Academy, Bristol Metropolitan Academy, Cotham, Bristol Cathedral Choir, Bedminster Down and Oasis John Williams were tasked with creating their ideal town and characters.

They were then told that the town's founder made his money through the transatlantic slave trade and had been commemorated with a statue.

Pupil Phoebe said while Bristol's slave trade "was horrible" people "need to acknowledge it"

The pupils were then asked what they wanted to do with the statue and created work to demonstrate their decisions.

Phoebe, a pupil who took part in the workshop, said she decided to make a copy of her statue to put in a museum so people could acknowledge what happened in the past but sacrificially burn the original statue and use the ashes in a tree to remember those who had been enslaved.

She said Bristol's slave trade "was horrible but you need to acknowledge it."

Lara said while coming to a decision about what to do with the statue was "quite challenging as everyone was entitled to their own opinion", the exercise was very helpful.

The pupils were tasked with deciding what they wanted to do with a statue of a slave trader

Fellow pupil Faith said it had helped her learn about the history of the city.

Tamsin Stone, head of drama at Oasis Academy John Williams, said while a lot of her pupils knew about the toppling of the Edward Colston statue many didn't know the implications of it on the city.

"Their response has been really sensitive and many of them have actually gone away, done further research and want to know more," she added.

Some pupils destroyed their statues while others decided to make copies for people to remember those who were enslaved

Lucy Hunt, director of engagement at Bristol Old Vic said 31% of their 50 original investors directly benefitted from the enslavement and forced migration of Africans.

She said: "We're really thinking about our history, how we were built, our place in the city, our role in the city, what we should be doing today and this kind of project is absolutely how we're looking at it."

She said they hoped the project would continue conversations around enslavement.

The exhibition will remain open until the end of the year.

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