4th March 2026
City Reflections: Illuminating Southampton’s Stories Postcards
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In February 2026, visitors experienced Southampton’s rich past on a six-location projection trail, with stories from the city’s history cast in light across its buildings and streets.
City Reflections: Illuminating Southampton’s Stories was an animated light projection trail that ran across four evenings in February 2026, bringing the city’s history to life in bold and creative ways. Six historic buildings across Southampton’s Old Town and city centre were transformed with large-scale projections, immersive soundscapes and storytelling inspired by the city’s art, maritime and archaeology collections.
What made City Reflections special was the blend of community co-creation and world-class creative production. Six Community Curators – each representing a different Southampton community – worked hand-in-hand with the creative team to explore the city’s archives and uncover the stories they tell, developing meaningful links between the themes and buildings they were paired with and the communities they represent. Their insight and input helped shape every projection, ensuring each one was not only visually spectacular but also rooted in local voices and perspectives.
The trail projection locations were:
- King John’s Palace – ‘Southampton, A City Built on Exchange’ was co-created by Rajan Jolly with Southampton’s South Asian community, Southampton City Council’s Culture & Tourism team and Southampton Forward.
- Holy Rood Church – African Diaspora, Beyond The Windrush’ was co-created by Abdourahman Sanneh with Southampton’s African and Caribbean communities, Southampton City Council’s Culture & Tourism team and Southampton Forward
- The Bargate – ‘Culture: Many Lives, Our City’ was co-created by Thelma Bishop-Young with Southampton’s Young people, volunteers and sport community, Southampton City Council’s Culture & Tourism team and Southampton Forward
- The Dancing Man Brewery – ‘Southampton, Gateway to the World’ was co-created by Stephen Muldowney-Mizen with Southampton’s older residents in partnership with Communicare, Southampton City Council’s Culture & Tourism team and Southampton Forward
- The Castle Vault – ‘City Through Minds That See the World Differently’ was co-created by Beth Macey-Macleod with Southampton’s Neurodiverse community, Southampton City Council’s Culture & Tourism team and Southampton Forward
- Southampton City Art Gallery – ‘You Are Invited’ was co-created by Ri Baroche with Southampton’s LGBTQIA+ community, Southampton City Council’s Culture & Tourism team and Southampton Forward
Presented by Southampton Forward in partnership with Southampton City Council, City Reflections is created with Light Up Trails and Double Take Projections, supported by funding from Arts Council England, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project was also supported by Southampton Forward’s founding city partners: Southampton City Council, University of Southampton, Southampton Solent University, GO! Southampton, Paris Smith, and Mayflower Theatre.
Our thanks to the Southampton City Council’s Museum, Gallery and Archive collections and Historic Monuments
City Reflections News and Updates
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Thank you so much for all of your support, guidance and patience over this process – it’s been really positive, and something I’ve hugely valued being part of. Something I wanted to add to the reflections on skills learned, echoing Jackie’s sentiments, was how it’s given me the confidence to work on heritage projects, on projects with a visual focus, and I’ll definitely be factoring this into future work pitches and considerations.
Ri Baroche, Community Curator
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This project has reminded me of what I used to do – what I loved doing which is research.
Thelma Bishop-Young, Community Curator
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I find myself in a hopeful place now thinking about Southampton as a City.
Stephen Muldowny-Mizen, Community Curator
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Coming from a different religion, language and country I have felt so welcoming in Southampton, this event has really highlighted the warmth I have felt from Southampton.
Rajan Jolly, Community Curator
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“Amid the noise of the city, I’ve discovered its hidden jewels—its history, green spaces, and deep human stories. This project feels like a stepping stone towards truly acknowledging Southampton’s past and its timeless connection to land and water. ”
Beth Macey-McLeod, Community Curator
Produced by:
Supported by:
Founding City Partners
