Shining a Light on Stories: Community Curator Ri Baroche
As part of City Reflections, a spectacular series of light projections coming to Southampton in February 2025, six Community Curators have been exploring the city’s archives, stories, and heritage. Each curator has worked closely with their own community, uncovering hidden histories and reflecting them back through collaboration with the creative team who are creating the projections.
We spoke with Rhi Baroche, who has been working on the projection for Southampton City Art Gallery.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what brought you to the Community Curator role?
My name’s Rhi Baroche. I’m a writer, performer, theatre-maker, and facilitator. I was really drawn to this project because I loved the idea of diving into the city archives, learning about Southampton’s past and present, and representing my community. Much of my work engages with the LGBTQ+ community and looks at ways to uplift voices in positive ways. This felt like a perfect opportunity to do that, while also connecting with other communities – something I think is really special about Southampton.
What building and theme have you been given?
I’ve been working with Southampton City Art Gallery, with the theme of art.
Can you talk a bit about how you have approached the project? How have you found the research element? How have you approached engaging your community?
I threw myself into the archives, and it’s been a real pleasure to work alongside the team there. Their enthusiasm and generosity really inspired me, and I started learning bit by bit about Southampton’s story and the themes that emerged.
Going into the vaults and seeing incredible works – some familiar, some completely new – was an absolute joy. At first, I worried there might not be much material to reflect the LGBTQ+ community in a positive way, but I quickly found inspiration in figures like Arthur Jeffress, a key part of Southampton’s story. From there, the connections kept unfolding.
I discovered artists with local or community connections, and others like Lucy Ash, who has been integral in celebrating the LGBTQ+ community locally. What started as a concern about finding material soon became the opposite – there was almost too much to choose from! That’s the beauty of research: you begin not knowing where to start, then a small spark leads you into a whole new world.
What has been the most meaningful or surprising part of the experience for you?
Two things stand out.
Firstly, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I was surprised and moved by how much relevant work there was in the collection – whether by queer artists or artists creating space for queer voices in the gallery. Seeing names like Lucy Ash and Keith Vaughan represented felt incredibly meaningful.
Secondly, the universal themes that emerged. The art gallery is such a beacon for Southampton: it was built on generosity, thanks to Robert Chipperfield’s gift in his will to establish the gallery and art school. That legacy has continued, and the gallery remains a place where people from elsewhere can feel welcome, reinvent themselves, and see themselves reflected. I hope that through my projection, people will see themselves too – even though it’s filtered through the lens of my community.
Has working on this project shaped or changed your thinking or approach to community and creativity? If so, how?
Yes, absolutely. I came into this project not as a visual artist or designer, but as someone from a writing, performance, and community background. At first I wondered, what can I contribute here? But I’ve realised that everything ultimately comes down to storytelling.
Whether it’s working with archives, museums, or creative teams in animation and projection, we’re all trying to tell stories. That’s what connects us. This project has encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone more, because with the right team and support, you can tell compelling stories that reveal new sides of a place – and help people see their city in a new light.
Now that you’re nearly ready to hand over to the creative team at Light Up Trails and Double Take, what are your hopes or reflections looking ahead?
For me, this project has already achieved what I hoped – it’s helped both myself and my community see ourselves more in our city. That feels especially important at a time when many people don’t feel welcome in the UK.
Through workshops, people had the chance to write letters to their younger selves about what they’d want them to know when first arriving in the city. The responses were moving, positive, and breathtaking – connecting with the gallery, with themselves, and with Southampton as home.
That has certainly been my own journey too. Southampton has given me so much – it has welcomed me, allowed me to reinvent myself, and been incredibly generous. I hope the projections help others feel the same: that Southampton is an amazing, welcoming, and generous place.
What does belonging in Southampton feel like to you?
For me, it looks like this project: bringing together diverse people, each representing their communities and following their own paths, but coming together in collaboration. We’ve supported, inspired, and listened to each other.
That’s what Southampton is about – people from different walks of life, all moving in the same direction, and now and then moving across to help someone else on their path forward.
Experience City Reflections
You can see Ri’s work – along with projections created by five other Community Curators – as part of City Reflections, taking place across Southampton from 18 – 21 February 2026
Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes interviews as we shine a light on the people and stories that make up this extraordinary city.