26 Treasures
Museums are about objects, each carrying a
multitude of meanings. Often, we are only able to share one
account, one view, one story, while others remain hidden,
unexplored, untold. For this project, 26 writers explored the
stories of 26 objects and retold them from new
perspectives.
We selected 26 objects from our Scotland galleries, which
together trace Scotland’s history from its ancient geological roots
to its technological future. Some are iconic, others less
well-known, but all have a story to tell.
The 26 writers are just as diverse, from poets and novelists to
screenwriters, journalists and academics. Writers were paired up
with objects at random, and set the intriguing challenge of
responding to their object in exactly 62 words.
Although the exhibition has now finished, you can still find the
objects by downloading the 26 Treasures
trail. You can read and hear the
writers' stories here.
During the exhibition, we challenged you to write your own
pieces about favourite objects. You can see
the winning competition entries here. You can also read poems
written by aspiring writers who took part in our workshop, The Alternative 26.