Project in Motion
Throughout our journey, we captured key moments, conversations, and insights that bring the human side of this project to life. From launch events to intimate object discussions, these recordings document the evolving dialogue between team members, institutions, and communities.
This collection of videos and documentation offers a window into how our understanding grew and shifted during the project. You'll find thoughtful discussions about specific artifacts, behind-the-scenes glimpses of exhibition development, and candid conversations about the challenges and discoveries we encountered along the way.
This collection of videos and documentation offers a window into how our understanding grew and shifted during the project. You'll find thoughtful discussions about specific artifacts, behind-the-scenes glimpses of exhibition development, and candid conversations about the challenges and discoveries we encountered along the way.
Public Events and Reflections
Digital Database Launch and Virtual Exhibition Opening
Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum, Cologne - May 27, 2021
A pivotal moment in the IIP journey: the launch of our digital database documenting thousands of Kenyan cultural objects held in Western institutions. This virtual opening marked the second stop of our travelling exhibition, Invisible Inventories, bringing together artists, activists, and scholars to explore the complex legacy of Kenyan cultural heritage abroad. The event showcased how art and research can illuminate historical asymmetries while opening new dialogues about cultural restitution and shared histories.
A pivotal moment in the IIP journey: the launch of our digital database documenting thousands of Kenyan cultural objects held in Western institutions. This virtual opening marked the second stop of our travelling exhibition, Invisible Inventories, bringing together artists, activists, and scholars to explore the complex legacy of Kenyan cultural heritage abroad. The event showcased how art and research can illuminate historical asymmetries while opening new dialogues about cultural restitution and shared histories.
Opening Day: Anticipation in Nairobi
National Museums of Kenya - March 2021
A five-minute snapshot capturing the energy and anticipation on the morning of the Nairobi exhibition launch. IIP team members share their hopes for how Kenyan audiences will engage with this first public presentation of their research and artistic responses. This intimate glimpse into the team's aspirations provides a compelling counterpoint to their later reflections, documenting a pivotal moment when years of preparation finally met its intended audience.
A five-minute snapshot capturing the energy and anticipation on the morning of the Nairobi exhibition launch. IIP team members share their hopes for how Kenyan audiences will engage with this first public presentation of their research and artistic responses. This intimate glimpse into the team's aspirations provides a compelling counterpoint to their later reflections, documenting a pivotal moment when years of preparation finally met its intended audience.
Reflections: Invisible Inventories in Nairobi
A four-minute reflection on the Nairobi exhibition's impact, captured just before the project travelled to Cologne. Team members from across the partnership—including Njeri Gachihi (National Museums of Kenya), alongside colleagues from the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum, Weltkulturen Museum, The Nest Collective and the Goethe-Institut (Nairobi)—share their observations of how Kenyan audiences engaged with this unprecedented exploration of their displaced cultural heritage.
If Objects Could Speak—Film Screening and Panel Discussion
A rich dialogue following the screening of If Objects Could Speak, an award-winning short film that traces two young filmmakers—one Kenyan, one German—as they investigate a mysterious Kenyan wooden object in Stuttgart's Linden Museum. The discussion brings together the film's creators Elena Schilling and Saitabao Kaiyare with IIP team members, moderated by performance scholar Dr. Mshai Mwangola.
Artists in Dialogue: Creating Invisible Inventories
An artist talk bringing together practitioners from The Nest Collective, SHIFT Collective, and Tuzi Creatives as they discuss creating work for the first iteration of Invisible Inventories in Nairobi. Dr. Njoki Ngumi and Jim Chuchu (The Nest Collective), Simon Rittmeier and Sam Hopkins (SHIFT Collective), Caroline Njaramba and Martha Shavuya (Tuzi Creatives) share insights into how they adapted their artistic practices to address colonial heritage.
Object Movement Dialogues
The Object Movement Dialogues (OMDs) were a series of public forums initiated by IIP in 2018 to foster critical discourse about cultural heritage, object histories, and their movement across borders. Over three years, these dialogues brought together diverse voices—from community elders to museum professionals, artists to activists—creating vital spaces for conversation and reflection.
OMD #5: Imagining Beyond Imperialism
A pandemic-era dialogue moderated by Dr. Njoki Ngumi (The Nest Collective), featuring Chao Tayiana and Olivia Windham-Stewart of the Museum of British Colonialism. This conversation explores how imperial legacies shape historical narratives and examines innovative approaches to recovering erased histories through digital preservation and community engagement.
OMD #7: Community Voices
Hosted during the Nairobi exhibition, this powerful dialogue brings together museum professionals and cultural experts—including JC Niala, Charles Leshore, and Mzee Tiberious Otieno—to discuss the ongoing impact of displaced cultural objects on Kenyan communities. Moderated by Juma Ondeng' (National Museums of Kenya), the conversation grounds abstract debates about restitution in lived community experience.
OMD #8: Art, Activism, and Museum Collections
The final dialogue in Cologne bridged two concurrent exhibitions—Invisible Inventories and RESIST!—through a conversation between artists from The Nest Collective, SHIFT Collective, and curator-artist Peju Layiwola. Moderated by Regina Sarreiter, this closing discussion explores how artistic practice can challenge and transform museum spaces.