Who has the Power
2016 Serpentine Galleries, London, UK
Who Has the Power? was part of the Serpentine Youth Forum; a work-experience programme where young people work with artists and curators to discuss issues that are important to them, develop a creative response and create a platform for change. Working in collaboration with artist Harold Offeh, students from Westminster Academy investigated the structures of power in school and society.
Over 9 weeks the group reflected on their experiences of school and their relationship to authority. These ideas have been channelled into Everything is TV, a 10 min programme that directly addresses the question of Who has the Power? through gesture, performance and text. The short programme takes cues from magazine-style television such as Andy Warhol’s TV and early MTV.
Following the programme, the young people co-hosted a workshop for 18 trainee teachers at Westminster Academy. The group presented their manifesto for change and together with the teachers workshopped 3 key ideas: performing power; testing and the curriculum and dealing with racist and sexist discrimination.
In winter 2016, the Serpentine Youth Forum was: Adam, Alla, Alex, Annika, Ben, Betty, Genan, Harold, Hussein, Ibrahim, Ksenija, Mohamad, Natalia, Noorah, Saffiyah, Zinia.