Lambeth mayor’s chain of office going on show in museum’s Covid collection... after he made home-made version during lockdown
Councillor Philip Normal, who away from politics works as a fashion designer, made the chain for his virtual appointment ceremony last April while the real thing was locked away in the town hall.
It has now been acquired by the Museum of London as part of its Collecting Covid initiative.
Made with card and t-shirt fabric, the chain includes the South London borough’s coat of arms in a fluorescent pink oval with the motto ‘Spectemur Agendo’ meaning ‘Let us be judged by our acts’.
Councillor Normal, who represents Oval ward and runs a shop in Brixton, said: “I wanted to mark the occasion my way and also to show how creative Lambeth is.
“It’s such a wonderful creative borough and I take such inspiration from that.”
The first HIV + positive mayor in the country, Cllr Normal has recently raised more than £160,000 for AIDS charities by designing a t-shirt inspired by the critically acclaimed drama It’s a Sin.
He said it was “a real honour” to have the chain go on show at the museum at London Wall.
Curator Beatrice Behlen said: “Councillor Philip Normal’s ingenious interpretation of a mayoral chain provides a marvellous example of the creativity employed by so many Londoners to cope with the hardships and changes we are all facing as a result of the pandemic.
“It was one of the earliest objects we wanted to acquire when we began our Collecting COVID project, not only because the object documented the change from physical to online life as it was made for a virtual Mayoral ceremony, but also because of Philip’s activism.
“This acquisition, announced in LGBTQ+ History month and 40 years since AIDS was first reported upon in 1981, marks an important addition to our permanent London Collection by documenting the appointment of the UK’s first openly HIV+ Mayor while also reflecting the spirit of Londoners to carry on in sombre times.”
