Digital exhibition ‘Does it feel cosy?’ explores feeling at home
Shirley Baker, "Ice cream van on a terraced street, Manchester," 1965, color photograph, 34 by 51 centimeters. (Courtesy of the British Council)


Museum Without Walls, the innovative online exhibition platform developed by the British Council, has opened its fifth exhibition that explores what it means to feel at home. While examining what it means to feel at home within ourselves or in the places we live, "Does it feel cosy?" also takes a closer look at the female experience, family and our planet. Curated by Rita Aktay, representing Turkey, and Ritika Biswas, representing the United Kingdom, the digital exhibition is open to everyone on the council's website.

The innovative digital exhibition of the British Council brings together international artists who use their creativity and ponder various social issues, including gender. The curators of the show explained: "...The imaginary journey of the exhibition, where joy and sorrow can coexist, offers a tour through emotional projections of crisis moments and attentive behaviors; striving for survival and quest for belonging. We share the dreams of commonality, surviving together and taking care of nature as well as people, especially in these days when we are increasingly feeling the concerns of the global pandemic."

The fifth exhibition from Museum Without Walls allows the visitor to choose multiple routes through the exhibition and creates a pioneering, innovative experience. By selecting different emojis, visitors can choose which works of art will be included in their journey and they can follow a different route on each visit.

Clare Leighton, "Washing Clothes, Corsica," 1934, wood engraving, 21.6 by 25.6 centimeters. (Courtesy of the British Council)

Among the participant artists are Sharon Aivaliotis, Shirley Baker, Ursula Biemann, Elif Biradlı, Flo Brooks, Chila Kumani Burman, Helen Chadwick, Jayashree Chakravarty, Tacita Dean, Rohini Devasher, Suki Dhanda, Ayçesu Duran, Anna Fox, Lubaina Himid, Siobhan Hapaska, Jun Hasegawa, Sibel Horada, Shirazeh Houshiary, Delaine Le Bas, Clare Leighton, Goshka Macuga, Paula Rego, See Red Women's Workshop, Charlotte Schmitz, Eda Sütunç, Madame Yevonde and Zadie Xa.

"Does it feel cosy?" allows visitors to browse the exhibition at their own pace and without any time limit or physical restrictions. According to data from the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, more than 2 million men and 2.8 million women are disabled in Turkey. Some 15% of the world's population consists of people with disabilities. The exhibition presents detailed written and audio-visual information about each of the works and artists, supported by features that facilitate access and work in harmony with screen readers, such as audio description, Turkish and English Sign Language, and the use of contrasting color and enriched text.