26 Pairs of Eyes

26 writers, including former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion, have been paired with 26 objects from the Foundling Museum Collection and responded with 26 ‘sestudes’ – texts exactly 62 words long.

These sestudes bring fresh perspectives to familiar objects and put those lesser-known in the spotlight.

Sestudes are displayed alongside the objects that inspired them, forming a trail of discovery through the Museum. These alternative stories for objects as diverse as the pencil that belonged to Hospital Secretary John Brownlow and George Frideric Handel’s Will, invite visitors to look at the Museum’s Collections and the Foundling Hospital’s history through 26 pairs of eyes.