When you Google “What does it mean to be British?” it might be hard to find a specific answer. After Googling this question herself many times, visual artist Sarah Maple decided to take matters into her own hands and ask members of the public what they think being “British” means.
Later, dressed up as four iconic figures from British history – Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, and Paul McCartney – Maple lip synced to the audio from the public interviews to share the collective thoughts on British identity through a short film.
We spoke with Maple to find out why she is interested in finding out what it means to be British, what British stereotype she wished didn’t exist, and how the artist imagines Britain will look in the future.
Why did you pick the question “What does it mean to be British?”
It was an absolute no brainer as this is something I have actually Googled many times!
How did your mischievous and sometimes controversial style help you to answer this question?
In my work I use humor to get a message across which allowed me to have a lot of fun with this! I really like to provoke a reaction and I thought this would be a great way to start a conversation. This is such an important subject at the moment. One thing I wanted to get across was diversity in Britain today and the history behind that, which is why I spoke to the general public and dressed up as British historical icons. I was really intrigued how people would answer the question!
What does being British mean to you?
Britain is a great country and I wouldn’t choose to be anything else, but my feelings about it change from day to day since Brexit. I have just been on holiday and something particularly stupid had happened with Brexit negotiations that day and it was the first time I felt a sense of real embarrassment when someone asked where I was from!
Why do you think it’s important for people to think about British identity in our current climate?
With all the negative conversations about immigration, I think we really need to look at Empire and our history and see that multiculturalism is a huge part of that. At the time of the Brexit vote there seemed to be this fantasy idea of a “back in the day” Britain that has somehow been lost. I’m interested in what this idea of Britain is and what people want to return to.
If you had to dress up as one person out of Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, and Paul McCartney for the rest of your life, who would you pick and why?
I think Queen Victoria as the outfit seems most practical.
What is one British stereotype you wish didn’t exist?
Bad teeth (even though it’s true).
What do you think Britain will look like in the future?
We’ll all have flying cars and everything will be okay.
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