'Celebration'
An interactive site-specific commission in Cambridge was received in October 2025 for Sidney Sussex College ‘ titled Celebration’. It was commissioned to mark the 50th anniversary of admission of women into Sidney Sussex College by the Forward Together Working Group. The official launch was Feb 14th on Valentine’s day.
Media: Digital photography, screens with sensors on metal stands, gold frames
The artwork will remain on display in the Dining Hall until the end of 2026. Public access for viewing is during weekdays but please do enquire and verify at the Porter’s Lodge on entry.
About
The two-screen installation in the niches in the Hall of Sidney Sussex is a celebration of female scholarship in the College. Women fellows were invited to be photographed with objects of their choice that they felt best represented their research, themselves or aspirations for the future. Scarborough’s photographs of their hands and objects are in the style of Dutch still life painting; beautiful and evocative, leaving visitors with a desire to know more about each object, the owner of the hands and the back story. Screens wrapped in gilded frames on stands that match the wall colour integrates the contemporary artwork with the past and the present history of the Dining Hall. Proximity sensors at the front of each stand are activated when someone nearby and furthest from the high table walks past, causing a new portrait to appear. These are the change makers and are active participants in the artwork. With thirty different portraits, viewed as a pair, the changing combination of images on the left and right screens offers up unexpected visual connections across disciplinary divides.
Women Fellows - Hands & Objects
Left Screen
Entangled Recycled Ring Binders – Dame Sandra Dawson
Handshake – Anna Baskerville
Green Necklace – Anna Baskerville
Heineken Prize for History – Professor Rosamond McKitterick
Conflict Bird – Professor María Noriega-Sánchez
Baby Rattle – Dr Catherine Sumnall
Bog Oak – Dr Diedre Serjeantson
A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues – Dr Suzanne Jones
Russian Doll – Professor Emily Gilby
Origami Paper Crane – Professor Mette Eilstrup-Sangiovanni
Baby Hat – Dr Catherine Sumnall
Petrarch’s 1577 de Remediis Utriusque Fortunae – Dr Diedre Serjeantson
Key – Anna Baskerville
Dalmatian Image – Dr Rose Ryan Flinn
A Fine Balance – Professor Elizabeth George
Right Screen
Entangled Recycled Ring Binders – Dame Sandra Dawson
Handshake – Anna Baskerville
Green Necklace – Anna Baskerville
Heineken Prize for History – Professor Rosamond McKitterick
Conflict Bird – Professor María Noriega-Sánchez
Baby Rattle – Dr Catherine Sumnall
Bog Oak – Dr Diedre Serjeantson
A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues – Dr Suzanne Jones
Russian Doll – Professor Emily Gilby
Origami Paper Crane – Professor Mette Eilstrup-Sangiovanni
Baby Hat – Dr Catherine Sumnall
Petrarch’s 1577 de Remediis Utriusque Fortunae – Dr Diedre Serjeantson
Key – Anna Baskerville
Dalmatian Image – Dr Rose Ryan Flinn
A Fine Balance – Professor Elizabeth George
A booklet describing the story behind each image was designed by Sidney Sussex College for the launch of the installation in February 2026. Click here to download PDF
Key Concepts
- Placed more women portraits than men in the hall as a historic groundbreaking first. There are 15 male and 2 women paintings in the hall and I added 30 more women.
- Photographs created in the style of Dutch still-life look like paintings. They are placed on a black background so they can be easily seen from the high table. Women’s ‘portraits’ are changed out by those near the door often being the waiting/kitchen staff or new students. They become the catalyst in the art experience.
- Very proud that the Forward Together Working Group had the courage to commission a contemporary artwork of the installation kind. Sidney Sussex is not well known for its art collection. I would like to imagine that contemporary art becomes part of their future vision.
- ‘Celebration’ has been a catalyst for interesting discussions and views which remain ongoing. This is what art is supposed to do!
- Purposely chose to create ‘digital’ portraits of ideas using women’s hands and objects rather than faces. It means less judgment, more mystery and offers an invitation for viewers to imagine an object they would offer that best represents their own research trajectory.
- Hand positions and objects in the art photographs reflects my emotional response to the wonderful stories behind each object (see list and booklet). The focus on hands is also prompted by the position of them in existing paintings in the space.
- Free-standing screens with sensors were needed as one is not allowed to place fixings or add new cables due to the age of the building. This was a challenging design constraint given the budget and schedule. My collaboration with an excellent display technology company played a vital role.
Credits & Thanks
Forward Together at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge for the opportunity and invaluable support from the commissioners, women fellows, domestic bursar, Buildings & Maintenance Development & Alumni Relations, IT & Communications and Catering. The names of the women fellows with objects can be found in the list, the booklet and towards the end of the film.
Saturn Visual Solutions Ltd who collaborated with Diana Scarborough to provide bespoke engineering, integration and ongoing technical support to meet Scarborough’s design concept and realisation.
Professor Ljiljana Fruk (@Dept. of Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology, Cambridge) who introduced Diana Scarborough to the college and provided financial support.
Robin Ansell (@Dept. of Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology, Cambridge University) who provided the photographic equipment and ‘studio’ set up for Scarborough’s use.
Film Music: ‘Infinitas Formas’ by Sounds of Space Project – Track 10, composed and performed by Kim Cunio & Heather Lee (2026). Diana Scarborough is the artist in the band.
‘Celebration’ © by Diana Scarborough is protected by artist copyright for her concept, realisation, photographs and this film. All rights reserved.