Curate and display the podcast - Trailer

Pilot Episode Transcript

I'm interior photographer Tiffany Grant-Riley and you're listening to Curate and Display the Podcast, a short series podcast where we dig deep into the processes of black and mixed heritage creatives to talk about the highs and lows of their chosen craft, the spaces that inspire them and the music that drives them to create.

This podcast has been four years in the making which might give you some insight into the process of my own personal creative projects. I can always see the finished product clearly in my mind but it's getting there that's filled with potholes, procrastination, moments of doubt and moments of complete elation. Sometimes it takes as long as it takes and this project has been on an ever-evolving journey.

The idea for this podcast came initially from a place of frustration. I started working in and around the interior design industry when I began my blog Curate and Display in 2014, documenting my journey through a career change, gaining experience as an assistant interior stylist and blogging new design discoveries. In the coming years writing from my tiny home office in Rochester brought me a world of opportunities, visiting design festivals and workshops of designers and craftspeople in the UK and parts of Europe. It was impossible to ignore the glaring lack of representation of anyone from a non-white background and even though I knew people were out there they certainly weren't easy to find.

For context, I'm mixed Guyanese and white British and I grew up in a predominantly white community in Suffolk, a county in the east of England in the mid-80s and 90s. When we first moved there my mum was often the subject of whispered gossip, the woman with the brown baby. That was me. Growing up I had no connection to my Guyanese heritage to know any different, though I knew I was. I could count the number of black and brown kids at all three of my schools on four fingers and I was one of them. I experienced racism from a very young age. I was told to go home and that I was dirty, as well as more subtle microaggressions which unfortunately I can recognize even now at 20 paces. And this is not to make you feel sorry for me but to highlight what most black and brown people have or do experience on a day-to-day basis. I'm recording this a week out from the recent riots across the UK as a prime example. In my work as a photographer today I see there is still a huge lack of diversity in the interior design industry. Living close to and working in London I had perhaps naively expected this not to be the case by now. By and large, being one of the only brown people in most spaces is something I'm quite used to but we are a global community. As much as it shouldn't matter what colour your skin is it's evident there's still more work to do in a way that doesn't feel tokenistic and performative. I wondered - is there a disconnect between capturing the imaginations of children from non-white backgrounds and inspiring them to explore creative avenues after they leave school? They need to see examples to give them a sense of tangible possibilities. Yes, I can study to become an architect. Yes, I can design furniture, be an artist, a photographer, a stylist. Or is it that graduates from minority backgrounds don't get the support and guidance to transition into a career in design? Or maybe it's the companies doing the hiring that are perpetuating the issue?

And then in 2020, we watched aghast at the murder of George Floyd. He wasn't the first and he won't be the last. More eyes were opened while a locked-down world had nowhere else to look. The floodgates of discussion were blown apart. I watched brands on social media check their lack of inclusivity, posting black squares as new allies of the Black Lives Matter movement and promising to do better, to champion diversity. I received messages from friends and acquaintances who were shocked that something like this could happen, wanting to hear my experiences, hoping that I was okay, asking what they could do better. In some cases, I was offered partnerships with brands who would never normally give me a second look, which I declined. And opportunities to “raise my profile” on other white content creators' much larger platforms landed in my lap. It all felt overwhelming and tiring, and for all the well-meaning intentions to do the work and do better, I wondered if it would just be a flash in the pan. But on the flip side, I also witnessed the levelling up of some incredibly talented designers and black-owned businesses getting their turn in the spotlight. We were finally talking about it, sharing our experiences. It was a start.

Four years on, do I think that representation has improved in the creative industries? Yes, and also no. There is still a long way to go, which is why I felt there was space in the world for this podcast. In this mini-series, I sit down with a variety of creatives in their personal studios, just the two of us, face to face. I wanted to champion and celebrate the work of people I admire, to recognise their achievements away from the idea that being a person of colour is their most defining feature. Though, of course, we talk about how their heritage may or may not influence their work too. We talk about identity, tokenism and representation, but we also take a peek behind the curtain on the creative processes, because I'm always fascinated to know how a project comes together. Most importantly, for my own sanity, I've kept it manageable, because dear lord, it's taken me four years to reach this point. So I've focused on four wonderful women based in London. I need this podcast to exist in the world now, to let it take on a new life outside the pit of anxiety that sits in my stomach. I'm excited and apprehensive in equal measure, and those are feelings that anyone who releases a project into the world experiences. It's just part of the process.

My hope is that the following episodes will inspire you and be a source of encouragement to those out there who are looking for proof that they too can be a valuable part of this world we share. Come on in…