Call for Submissions – Community-led exhibition

We’re gathering photos and voice recordings from people in Burnt Oak and across Barnet to be part of our upcoming exhibition, To Us It Means.

To Us It Means is a free public exhibition in our Apthorp Gallery, running from Sunday 26 October – Saturday 1 November 2025. It is part of Our Freedom: Then and Now, a nationwide programme marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

We’d love for you to be involved! What You Can Share:

Photos – We’d love to receive:

• A picture of you at a time when you felt truly free
• Family photos (especially grandparents or relatives) from Burnt Oak or Barnet — we’re especially keen on images from around the time of World War 2.

Please tell us about your photos – optional prompts to help you:

• Who’s in it? (e.g. my mum – no need to share names if you don’t want to)
• When and where was the image taken? (e.g. Burnt Oak High Street, 1980s)
• Why does this image make you think of freedom?

Voice Recordings – You can choose one, a couple or all of these to answer / describe:

• Tell us a story about freedom
• Freedom is…
• What does freedom feel like?
• What does freedom sound like?

What does freedom sound like to you? Share a short audio recording — it could be your voice, a conversation, sounds from your surroundings, or music that captures your idea of freedom. Feel free to be creative: you might read a poem, sing, speak, or record a conversation.

We welcome audio in different languages! (If possible, please tell us what language it’s in and add a short translation in English.)

How to Take Part:

Simply upload your photo or voice recording using the form below by Midnight on Thu 9 Oct. Your contributions will help us build a rich, collective artwork that celebrates freedom across generations.

Please note, if your contributions are included in the final exhibit, voice recordings may be clipped and layered within the sound design.