The Creative Team Feeds Back: City Reflections Project Update

It’s been a busy few months for the City Reflections team! Since July, our Creative Team has been hard at work shaping the synopsis and storyline, seeking feedback from our Community Curators along the way. Behind the scenes, Southampton City Council and Project Coordinator Helen Wallbridge have been gathering archives, sourcing content, securing permissions, and managing copyright – all crucial work to bring the project to life.

On 2nd September, Libby Battaglia from Light Up Trails, the project’s Creative Producer, shared her draft synopsis, which received approval from both the Community Curators and Southampton City Council. With this milestone complete, the six projections that will light up the city are now taking shape:

• You Are Invited (City Gallery) – A poetic projection celebrating LGBTQIA+ voices and a sense of belonging.
• Gateway to the World (The Dancing Man Brewery) – A vibrant reflection on Southampton’s rich shipping history and identity.
• A Neurodivergent Narrative (Castle Vault) – A journey through maps and walls, reimagined through neurodivergent perspectives.
• Many Lives, One City (The Bargate) – A fast-paced celebration of culture, migration, and community.
• A City Built on Exchange (King John’s Palace) – A visual story of trade and global connection.
• More Than Windrush (Holyrood Church) – Reframing Southampton’s Black history as central to the city’s legacy and future.

On 26th September, some Community Curators recorded their voiceovers, including poems by Ri and Stephen, alongside voices from the LGBTQIA+ community. These recordings, combined with carefully curated images, objects, and oral histories, are now forming the heart of the projections.

With most of the materials in place, the Creative Team is now preparing the first draft of the projections, which is set to be shared on 22nd October.

Stay tuned – these immersive stories are shaping up to be a vibrant celebration of Southampton’s people, histories, and communities.

Behind the scenes of the recordings: