What makes you feel powerful?
This was the question posed to the Curating Power Collective, a group of young people in London who have been developing and curating a series of creative, personal reflections in response to our UCL Culture Lab’s inaugural ‘Power!' exhibition.
They have intervened in the space, exploring, embracing and reclaiming what makes them feel powerful through research, objects, creative making, and writing.
Their work is now on display as part of the 'Power!' exhibition at the UCL Culture Lab, in the UCL East Marshgate building.
"What makes us feel powerful is individual and personal, and yet it is related to and constrained by the wider world. We have intervened in this space and embraced our own power... we all bring our own perspective, expertise and experiences to navigating power; its nature, influence, and effects on our existence." - Curating Power CollectiveFind out more about the Culture Lab and Curating Power Collective in this short film.
Meet the curators
The films below share the personal and creative journeys, motivations and experiences of some of our Curating Power curators.
Barakat Omomoyowa
Ysabel Hannam
Kimberly Johnson
Paige Michel-Strachan
Matilda Bilon
Book your visit
The Curating Power Collective's work is now on display as part of the 'Power!' exhibition at the UCL Culture Lab, Marshgate, UCL East (Stratford Olympic Park). The space is open to the public on Wednesday afternoons and the 1st Saturday of every month, or by appointment. Please get in touch with us to book a visit.Explore the digital collection
The Collective has also curated a digital archive of their work, showcasing creative process, poetry readings, playlists, artworks, and digital zines. Explore the digital Curating Power collection.
A final word
"I got involved with the Curating Power Collective because I think institutions like UCL have a responsibility to tell the right stories. There's this new narrative about what power means...And I was really, really intrigued to be able to put on something in an institution so prominent like UCL that might change minds and incite new conversation" - Barakat Omomayowa, Curating Power curator
We welcome UCL staff, students and collaborators, and our local communities to view these works, and use the space to reflect on their own relationship with power and start new conversations.
Thank you to the Curating Power Collective: Kimberly Johnson, Ysabel Hannam, Arzama Hossain, Barakat Omomayowa, Shay Spencer-Noronha, Ashanté Thomas, Matilda Bilon, Paige Michel-Strachan and Emmanuella Bamfo, with support from Alafuro Sikoki-Coleman and Johanna Zetterstrom-Sharp.
About UCL Culture Lab
Located at Marshgate, UCL East, the Culture Lab builds on UCL’s long tradition of object-based learning and collections-based research. It’s a space for students, artists and community groups to work with collections and archives to creatively share with each other and the public what matters to them, and to support a new generation of curators. Find out more about the Culture Lab.





