‘It’s a huge process of learning and unlearning, making progress with kindness as you go’

Harry Kane has appeared in many of the world’s most iconic football grounds, but one of the record goalscorer’s most telling contributions was made on a gallery floor.

The life and career of the former Tottenham Hotspur frontman was celebrated in the Harry Kane: I Want to Play Football exhibition at the Museum of London in 2022, a joyous celebration for fans and non-sports followers alike.

That made the enterprise a double delight for curator and Spurs supporter Zeynep Kuşsan, winner of the Museums Association’s Radical Changemaker Award 2023.

“I used to pop downstairs when it was on and see lots of happy people, many of whom were not regular museum visitors,” she says.

“There were so many connections across generations, so many memories as children explained football to confused mums and dads, and granddads came with youngsters decked out in their teams’ shirts.”

So it is a surprise to learn that the exhibition came, as Kuşsan admits, “from a place of vulnerability and pain”.

“It was obvious during the pandemic that people needed a lift, something that would take them away from the bad things happening in the world.

"I remember seeing TV footage of a mother trying desperately hard to explain to her son why he couldn’t go the football. She took him to the closed stadium to show him how absolutely no one was allowed in at that point.”

Who better, then, to raise a nation’s spirits than one of its favourite sporting sons? Kuşsan contacted the Kane family, which was then in the process of setting up its own foundation aimed at improving mental health.

The England captain himself supplied mountains of memorabilia for the exhibition, along with a voiceover commentary and his preferred pre-match playlist of heart-pumping pop music.

“It was a piece of work, obviously, but looking back I now realise how exciting it was. I have to admit I had a fan-girl moment when I saw his Golden Boots [presented to leading goalscorers] for the first time.”

The opening weeks of the Harry Kane show recorded a 20% increase in first-time visitors, says Kuşsan.

“We all agreed that the exhibition should not be a vanity project but a fun way for everyone to share a commitment towards communities and wellbeing,” says Kuşsan, who adds that the ethos of the show came from her own dedication towards museums making a difference.

“My work is based around making them happy, healthy, inclusive spaces accessible to everyone,” she says. “The existence of networks such as Museum as Muck, Museum Detox and the LGBTQ groups has highlighted problems. We all make mistakes and it’s a huge process of learning and unlearning, making progress with kindness as you go.”

Since the exhibition, both Kane and Kuşsan have completed transfers – to Bayern Munich and the London Transport Museum respectively.

“It was the right time for a new challenge for him and I have big ideas here,” she says, “I’ve had a lot of conversations about inclusivity lately and now it’s time to show real impact. Less talking, more doing, definitely.”

RADICAL CHANGEMAKER

Zeynep Kuşsan, curator at the Museum of London, scooped the award for creating a show in 2022 that brought generations together and also recorded a 20% increase in first-time visitors. Harry Kane: I Want to Play Football exhibition was born out of her wish to raise the nation’s spirits after the Covid pandemic, while the England captain himself donated memorabilia, such as his football shirts.