Contact us:
Zarna Hart
z.hart@arts.ac.uk
Urjuan Toosy
u.toosy@arts.ac.uk
toosyu@richmond.ac.uk
❶ An Archive is a School:
Knowledge Exchange Program
What is it?
An Archive is a School is a public-facing exchange that connects global majority design students with notable institutions to reposition archival practice as a site for social and cognitive transformation. Led by Urjuan Toosy and Zarna Hart—educators specialising in post-colonial archival practices and collaborative knowledge production—the initiative utilises design as a critical tool for advocacy.
The core issue
By centering marginalised narratives in design archives, the program directly tackles urgent systemic disparities in both institutions and the wider society today. We specifically choose to work with global majority students in the hope of facilitating a solution to the growing attainment gap in design education. Data from the Ethnic Representation Index highlights a significant awarding gap at the university we teach at, reaching 19.3% for Black students and 12.3% for BAME students. Furthermore, National Student Survey (NSS) data indicates that Black and BAME students, on average, have a worse university experience than their White peers.
Why Archives?
Archives are political spaces and vital sites for knowledge exchange. Both traditional and contemporary archives reflect power structures of past and recent histories, celebrating some voices while erasing others. Through this project, we provide an opportunity for students to cultivate curiosity as well as reclaim the narratives within the collection.
By integrating design methods into the archival process, the initiative empowers students to discover culturally relevant stories and confront and broaden institutional histories, moving beyond documentation to transform students from passive observers into active knowledge-makers. This approach is specifically designed to evoke a change in mindset, working to close the attainment gap and improve progression rates to employment for global majority students.
How it works
This pedagogical approach involves students in a rigorous twice-weekly structure, blending archival research with practical studio testing, ideation, and prototyping. These design-led responses encourage differing perspectives, directly involving students in the act of broadening history through their own lived experiences.
The resulting storytelling outputs—presented through student-led workshops and a public display—aim to evoke significant shifts in mindset for design enthusiasts, archival practitioners, and the general public, moving audiences towards more informed and inclusive perspectives on overlooked stories. The project creates a circular system of knowledge exchange, establishing a dynamic network and digital archive that provides both pedagogical models and practical insights, fostering long-term impact on the cultivation of critical professionalism within the UK's design and cultural sectors.
❷ Project Summary:
An Archive is a School
Who is involved?
Students- 2nd and 3rd-year BA (design and communication) students in London
- Those interested in critical design practice, social justice, and cultural sector work
- Students building portfolios demonstrating real-world collaboration and public impact
Facilitators
- Urjuan Toosy & Zarna Hart
Museums / Archives
- Victoria & Albert Museum
Public Audiences
- Design enthusiasts questioning whose stories get told
- Museum visitors seeking more inclusive perspectives
- Cultural sector professionals exploring collaborative practices
How does it work?
Duration8-12 weeks (Preferable start June–July)
Structure
- Two sessions per week
- 50% In-person ; 50% Studio with online tutorials
Process
- Deep archival research and exploration
- Lectures and workshops
- Design and prototyping responses
- Student exhibition preparation and workshop planning
What will students create?
Individual Outputs- Design interventions surfacing underrepresented narratives
- Public-facing portfolio pieces demonstrating social impact
- Industry networks and professional contacts
Collective Outputs:
- Public display at major cultural institution
- Student-led workshops exploring inclusive design histories
- Digital archive documenting all project work
Why This Matters
As cultural institutions reckon with colonial legacies and the creative industries demand diverse perspectives, students need critical tools to challenge dominant narratives.This project positions design as advocacy—a way to surface systematically excluded stories and create lasting change in how we understand design history. The resulting work contributes directly to the UK's cultural sector, providing both pedagogical models and practical insights for more inclusive archival practices.
Impact & Legacy
This project serves as active pedagogical research:- For students: Critical skills, professional networks, portfolio work
- For institutions: Models for inclusive archival practice
- For the sector: Expanded understanding of underrepresented stories matter in design history
- For the audience: Exposure to unique and contemporary interpretations of the collections
The format, digital archive and exhibition are designed for replication. This is the first iteration of what we hope becomes an annual collaboration with rotating cultural institutions.
This website contains confidential, proprietary and/or privileged information. Any duplication, copying, distribution, dissemination, transmission, disclosure or use in any manner without the authorisation of Urjuan Toosy and Zarna Hart is strictly prohibited.
Zarna Hart (she/her) is a design practitioner, educator and curator exploring knowledge production and exchange through an anti-colonial lens, and a focus on post-colonial archival methods. Her work manifests through printed / digital ephemera, exhibitions and cultural programming, writing, and facilitation of workshops.