Status symbols: identity and belief on modern badges
22 July 2004 – 16 January 2005
Room 69a
Exhibition closed
An exploration of the symbolic power of badges and other similar objects to express identity and belonging, belief and dissent.
Status Symbols includes objects from around the world and from all periods, ranging from the mass-produced to the individually-crafted; the official to the subversive; the familiar to the strange. All are powerful statements of the diverse ways people define themselves and others.
As well as examining attitudes to individual and group identity, the exhibition explores the origin, use and subversion of symbols, and shows how badges can create dialogues between conflicting views.
View an online tour about Status symbols: identity and belief on modern badges
More information about a badge of the Anti-Apartheid Movement
Image: A badge of the Anti-Apartheid Movement