Student blog: Introducing ‘Patterns & People’ - A Student-curated exhibition in the making

Above image: Audience Researcher Gigi Frazzi and Content Developer Emily Baker at the Culture Lab, UCL East. 

A blog by students from Museum Studies MA:

Hello everyone! With months of brainstorming, concept developing, and vision-shaping behind us - and still two weeks left - we are so excited to finally give you a sneak peek into our upcoming exhibition. Patterns & People is a student-curated project by 2024-2025 MA Museum Studies students enrolling in the Exhibition Project module. The exhibition will open on May 8th, 2025, at the Culture Lab, UCL East, where the module is currently being carried out. Patterns & People explores how patterns and the way we classify them shape the human experience in ways we may not always notice - from the ones within our bodies to those we create in production, design, communication and self-expression.

Our team is made up of 13 students from the 2024-2025 MA Museum Studies cohort, each bringing their unique skills and experience to different areas of the exhibition. The team is divided into sub-teams to ensure the project runs smoothly. Elsa Wilbur and Kelsey Fisher serve as the Project Coordinators, overseeing the overall development of the exhibition. Content development is being led by Alexia Saettone Prado, Lydia Pun, Emily Baker, and Yumo Shen, each contributing to the creation and design of the exhibition content. The Digital Content Development team includes Fede Falchi and SeungYeon Kim, focusing on creating and integrating digital elements into the exhibition. The Collections Managers, Amy Keall and Yushi Zheng, are responsible for handling and organising the objects and materials that will be featured in the exhibition. Audience Research is conducted by Freddy Wilson, Gigi Frazzi and Sharon Lee. Together, our team is working collaboratively to bring Patterns & People to life.

This project is supported by Professor Theano Moussouri, the module coordinator, along with exhibition project supervisor Ian Carroll. We also have the guidance of Dr Sarah Byrne, manager and curator at Culture Lab, and Camella Ramjet, curatorial assistant at UCL Culture Lab. To ensure the content of our exhibition is up-to-date and cutting-edge, we are working with expert consultants who bring invaluable insights to help shape the exhibition. 

Patterns are everywhere - they help us make sense of the world, connect with others and express who we are. Some patterns are biological, forming the foundation of our bodies and the way they function. Others are made by us - like gestures, facial expressions, and the designs we wear. Patterns & People explores how patterns shape our lives - from patterns in our bodies to those we create in production, design, and communication. Central to our exhibition is the classification of patterns - a process through which societies assign meaning to order. This act of grouping is shaped by context and lived experience, revealing that what unifies in one culture may not in another, and that pattern classification is never truly neutral. Therefore, patterns don’t just bring people together - they’ve also been used to divide. This exhibition looks at both sides, exploring how we recognise, use, and sometimes reshape patterns to suit different worldviews.

Above image: Eva Krumhuber presents her interactive lecture on facial perception during our Fundraising event on 2nd of April, 2025 

Bringing together objects from UCL collections and contemporary examples, Patterns & People invites visitors to see patterns through different lenses. Whether in the body, in art, or in everyday life, patterns connect us - and by recognising their classification and interpretation, we can better understand ourselves and each other.

Follow our exhibition development journey and stay tuned for our next blog post: What Does It Take to Curate a Student-Led Exhibition? Reflections from the Team.