Singing freedom exhibition

Singing Freedom is about the music of the Struggle Against Apartheid. It examines the role of music in the liberation struggle in South Africa telling the story through various musicians and artists who were involved in crossing over between music and politics. Iziko had 2 rooms available to dedicate to this important exhibition. There was a vast collection of writing and research behind the exhibition and we soon got to work molding the story and content to adapt to the space available. Working closely with the content curators and researchers, we carved out the key points and highlights for the exhibition.

The Singing Freedom exhibition is currently at the Slave Lodge until 2017. We used a music score that wrapped around both rooms as the basis of the concept and treatment, keeping the colour scheme black and white like a music score, only the photography on display and interactive areas punctuate the exhibition with colour. We also developed a few music players using Arduino, created an interactive quiz testing visitor’s knowledge of the history of the music of the Struggle.

Local as well as international visitors are excited and impressed by the exhibition. Paul Tichmann, Curator Social History, Iziko Museums of South Africa