The Part Versus the Whole by Ben Judd was a commission for the Victoria Gallery & Museum (University of Liverpool) as part of their New Perspectives 10th anniversary celebrations, curated by Rose Lejeune. Combining an eclectic mix of materials from the VG&M’s collections and archives, including historic magic lantern slides and the archeological photography of John Garstang, with new objects, performance and film.

The Part Versus the Whole was the first of a cycle of works in which Judd invoked a lost community with its own internal systems, beliefs and taxonomies of knowledge. The installation weaved together threads of mythology with imagined and real histories of characters and architecture from the local environment to create an immersive installation. A performance and an accompanying film imagined this community existing within the VG&M.

The Part Versus the Whole was an invitation to viewers to experience a series of alternative readings of the VG&M, and the city of Liverpool’s history, to reimagine what might have been and to bring its possible futures to life.