The Archive
The Archive is a space for all those involved in the Centre to creatively document and share their experiences of identity, culture, heritage, higher education and/or activism. It is an opportunity for self-reflection, forming new narratives and cultivating solidarity amongst like-valued people.
Forming New Narratives
Between October 2022 and June 2023, five postgraduate researchers collaborated with the Centre to help produce our first archival collection. After participating in monthly workshops that explored the politics and principles of the archive, they developed a series of creative pieces that focused on :
- 50 years of Chilean struggle and solidarity
- The value of Black British Futurism
- The rage and disillusionment of negotiating institutionally racist structures
- The value of music and dance in honouring the heritage of displaced communities and significance of climate change
This work was then showcased at Migration Matters Festival and the Western Bank Library.
This kind of archiving acts ‘in opposition to the silences, misrepresentations and marginalisations’ of mainstream heritage archives.
Want to take part?
We are now seeking a new group of postgraduate researchers to develop the second archival collection.
We will run two workshops in November and December to explore initial ideas and areas of interest. Then from January onwards we will co-produce creative pieces for a summer showcase.
Workshop 1 will be a discussion of key themes PGRs would like to explore through the Centre Archive.
Workshop 2 will determine the format of individual creative pieces (e.g. podcast, video, creative writing, music, etc.)
The Centre Archive is conceived as an open, fluid and exploratory space. We envisage that each new collection will cover different topics and take new forms. If you would like to take part in this creative experiment and help build the Centre’s legacy, please sign up below.