Digital projects bring museums and archives to life in the Black Country.

On Friday 13 March Arts Connect showcased two new pilot digital projects, Black Country Memoryscape and A Load of Bobbins at the Black Country Living Museum and The Lace Guild Museum. The projects explore how digital technology can be used in museums and archives to bring collections to life in ways that will engage and excite children and young people.

Museums and libraries are traditionally accessed physically these projects explore ways to reach out to new and young audiences through means that they are more familiar with – digital technology. The two commissions explore contemporary technology with historical facts enabling exploration into both the collections and digital developments.

A Load of Bobbins is a digital exploration of the lace making world and has been created with participatory artists We are Frilly with Milk Bar Studio and The Lace Guild. Using GPS technology they have created a treasure trail around the Lace Guild Museum as well as creating location specific content for three iBeacons including interpretation materials, videos and curatorial insights. They have also created a website with content specifically geared toward young people including lace video tutorials, contemporary lace inspiration and examples of the work of young lace makers.

Black Country Memoryscape is an interactive installation that explores the memories and landscapes of Dudley and the Black Country across various points in recent history. Artists Sian Macfarlane, Anthony Davies and Noel Murphy are working in partnership with the Black Country Living Museum, Dudley Archive and Library and the work will be installed in the Black Country Living Museum in 2015. Their cutting edge light projection, created with students from Thorns Community College, will allow users to decide where they will travel and experience what it is to live in different times.

Rob Elkington, Director of Arts Connect said: “Through these pilot projects we want to show how venues can bring their collections to life and generate compelling and enticing experiences for children, young people and their families. We hope they will inspire other venues to explore the potential for creating content across online platforms and reaching wider audiences.”

Sian Macfarlane added: “The commission has given us the chance to experiment with new ideas and create a unique piece of work, using cutting edge digital techniques. We have brought to life archival materials from Dudley Archives and Black Country Living Museum to create an innovative and immersive interactive installation which we look forward to visitors to the museum enjoying.”

Arts Connect West Midlands is one of 10 Bridge organisations, funded by Arts Council England to connect children and young people with great arts and cultural experiences. For further information on these commissions and the work of Arts Connect visit: www.artsconnectwm.co.uk

Pics: Jas Sansi