Collecting objects from the present allows us to develop new interpretations of difficult aspects of Scotland's past.

This porcelain tea set was used in a pop-up café in Glasgow during the Commonwealth Games of 2014. Over the products of Empire – tea, coffee, and sugar – visitors to the Empire Café discussed Scotland’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. Specially commissioned poetry by Scottish and Caribbean writers is printed in black and gold on the white porcelain. This symbolises the riches created by Scotland’s slavery past.

In the film, Professor Sir Geoff Palmer, together with co-creators of The Empire Café Louise Welsh and Jude Barber, reflect on what the tea set tells us about how we understand the history and legacy of slavery in Scotland.

The Empire Tea Set is on display in the Scots in America gallery at the National Museum of Scotland.