UCCI FACULTY LEAD LANDMARK NARRATIVE OF CHANGE EXHIBITION CELEBRATING CAYMAN’S MULTICULTURAL IDENTITY

The University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) is proud to announce a major achievement by a member of its faculty, Dr. Christopher Williams, as landmark exhibition, Narratives of Change: Stories of Place, Identity, and Belonging, opens in Cayman. The exhibition situated at Governor’s Village, launched last week and will be open to the public throughout the month, free of charge.

Associate Professor at UCCI, Dr. Christopher Williams, had the role of Lead Researcher in the cultural project, and managed the overall content direction of the project. Dr. Sylvia Wilks, adjunct faculty member, also played a pivotal role in the landmark exhibition.

Narratives of Change, explores the complexities of life in Grand Cayman by embracing the fluidity of identity and place, drawing from personal narratives of change shared by 17 people living on island. The exhibition presents hand-made proof-sheets, film photography, and sound works that bring these stories to life, inviting viewers to experience the imperfections and nuances of becoming, and highlighting the fragile balancing acts of everyday life.

Managing the Cayman project is Dr. Denise Claux, who said this project explores “migration’s impact on Cayman and the ways individuals negotiate identities and navigate the island’s changing environment. In this context, the local and foreign, the new and old, and the past and present all become expedient categories for analysing identities as spatiotemporal manifestations of infinite and porous experiences of being and becoming.”

Claux, who holds a PhD in visual sociology, with a specialisation in Latin American area studies, food studies and qualitative experimental methodology, said, “In Cayman, we share a very small piece of land, yet that piece of land has so many different meanings and holds so many different experiences for each person living in it. Hopefully, this project will serve as a first step in a much-needed effort to engage in an open dialogue about the social, cultural, spatial and economic complexities involved in this hyper-diverse yet small, changing society.”

Other collaborators on the project include Mikhail Campbell (audio) and Bryony Dixon (photography).

Dr. Williams was personally chosen by Dr. Denise Claux to serve as Lead Researcher for this landmark exhibition, recognizing his reputation as one of the foremost experts on Caymanian society and multiculturalism in the Cayman Islands. His leadership in this initiative continues his legacy of academic excellence and his commitment to amplifying diverse Caymanian voices.

Dr. Livingston Smith, Acting President and CEO, offered his congratulations: “UCCI faculty continue to set the standard for transformative research that bridges academic inquiry and community engagement. Dr. Williams’s and Dr. Wilks’s work on ‘Narratives of Change’ is a remarkable testament to how storytelling empowers individuals and enriches our national identity. We celebrate their contributions to this pioneering exhibition and encourage everyone to explore it at Governor’s Village.”

Narratives of Change beautifully captures the multiculturalism that defines Cayman, highlighting reflections on collective life experiences and the evolving sense of place and belonging.