Beyond the Glass

Editorial Design
Graphic Design

Beyond the Glass is a series of printed publications opposing the display of human remains in museums. It shares the life stories of five individuals/groups of people, challenging readers to question the ethics and impact of colonialism and white supremacy. These stories highlight the tragedy of subjugation and the indignity of posthumous display. After years of appeals, the remains were returned to their homelands, allowing the deceased to be laid to rest according to their cultures. This project underscores the importance of respecting the dignity of the dead and addressing colonial and supremacist legacies in museums and society.

Objective

Strategy

To challenge Western museums and constitutions about the sensitivity of displaying human remains as objects of marvels and to address the importance of respecting the deceased through the format of editorial design. The flow of information is crucial, and the publication should empower the reader to question the ethics behind the implications of colonial subjugation, emphasizing their role in this critical discourse.

It was important to give a face to the remains and portray them as humans like us—people who worked, loved, and had families. This approach is designed to establish a deep emotional connection with the reader, ensuring their engagement and investment in the subject matter. The tone of the content was crucial, meant to resonate through straightforward and critical language. Instead of combining all the stories into one publication, the project highlights the lives of each individual whose remains were once displayed in museums and later returned home after many years, where they were finally laid to rest. Each publication ends by questioning the reader why the remaining artefacts in museums are not returned. Patterns inspired by nature are used throughout the publications, reflecting the idea that humans are always meant to return to the earth.

“Always in front of a human face,
you have an emotional reaction.”
- Y.Z. Kami

Demasduit

• Human Remain - Skull

• Home country – Newfoundland (Canadian Province)
• Year of Birth – 1796

• Year of Death – 1820

• How – Kidnapped by the British. Kept with Leigh. While returning her back, she died of TB and was laid to rest in her hometown. But later, her skull was taken from her burial site and sent to Edinburgh in 1828

• Museum Displayed - National Museum of Scotland (from 1850)

• Returned – 2019 – initiated in 2016

• Movement – Red Indian Lake >Twillingate > Edinburgh

Charles Byrne

• Human Remain - Skeleton

• Home country - Ireland

• Year of Birth – 1761

• Year of Death – 1783

• How – His body was stolen by John Hunter while on its way to the sea for burial even after he specifically requested it because he knew his both would be dissected and displayed after death.

• Museum Displayed – Hunterian Museum London

• Returned – Removed from Display – Jan 2023

• Movement - Ireland > Scotland > England

Sarah Baartman

• Home Country – South Africa

• Year of Birth – 1789 •

Year of Death – 1815

• How – Hottentot Venus. Slave. Taken to England and put in a cage and displayed as exotic/ different because of her physical features. Especially the butt. “Freak show”. Later dissected to study her anatomy. She returned only after Nelson Mandela requested the reparation of her remains.

• Museum Displayed – Musée de l’Homme • Returned – 2002

• Movement – S. Africa > England > Ireland > Paris > S. Africa

Maori People

• Human Remain - Preserved Tattooed Heads

• Home Country – New Zealand

• Year of Birth - Around 1700’s

• Year of Death – Same as above

• How – Europeans began to see heads as treasures of war after invading the Maori. The heads were stolen and displayed across Western Museums. Tribes would preserve heads carved uniquely to signify rank, lineage, and occupation. When they ran out of heads, the Europeans would carve them on slaves and then kill them to preserve and sell heads.

• Museum Displayed – Across Western World (American Museum of Natural History – 1st collection)

• Returned – (in the process – earliest 1985 from Austria)

• Movement – Paris, France, Berlin, Germany, Birmingham, US