Venue TBC

 
The Figurehead Catwalk Challenge project, created in partnership with the National Museum of the Royal Navy, and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Pilgrim Trust, invited four community groups to reimagine historic naval figureheads through their own stories, skills, and perspectives. Drawing on centuries of maritime tradition, where carved figures embodied protection, superstition, and the spirit of a ship, each group explored symbolism and meaning in new ways. Chat Over Chai responded to HMS Asia, Queer Threads to HMS Queen Charlotte, School pupils from Armed Forces Families to HMS Seaflower, and the Red Cross Stop Domestic Abuse women’s group to HMS Martin. Using varied materials and techniques, participants connected their lived experiences to the protective, guiding role of figureheads—blending heritage with contemporary identity. The resulting works reveal shared themes of resilience, care, and transformation, while celebrating the art and cultural history of figureheads. Together, they form a unique conversation between past and present, tradition and reinvention, and the enduring human need to create symbols of hope and belonging. You can visit the ship’s figureheads that inspired the work in the Victory Gallery at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard or view them on line here