Dr Tom Roebuck and Dr Sophie Butler from UEA’s School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing will be showcasing their research at this year’s Being Human, the UK’s national festival of the Humanities taking place between 7-16 November.
2024 marks the 10th anniversary of Being Human Festival, which was founded in 2014 to open up and celebrate the importance of humanities research. This year, through a competitive application process, 32 funding grants have been awarded to researchers at universities across the UK, to enable free public engagement activities.
Dr Roebuck and Dr Butler’s project ‘Make Your Mark! Medieval Merchants' Marks Now’ will see the University partner with local designers and arts institutions on a series of workshops and events, co-organised with CreativeUEA.
In medieval times, Norwich was an international trading centre with merchants’ marks - precursors of modern logos - stamped onto goods and carved into buildings. These forgotten landmarks, many of which are still visible today, were preserved through the efforts of antiquarian John Kirkpatrick (1687-1728) and the project celebrates him as a pioneer of sustainable heritage. Creative workshops, co-produced with designer Darren Leader, will empower everyone to 'make their mark', exploring Kirkpatrick’s legacy and producing new merchants' marks, resulting in an exhibition.
Three half-day creative community workshops at the National Centre for Writing, Norwich Castle and The Forum will mingle Roebuck and Butler's interpretation of how merchants' marks were preserved and their role in constructing identities with creative activities. Participants will be enabled to create their own marks in appropriate media: risograph digital printing, collage, and 3D printing. A guided walking-tour before the adult learners' workshop will let that group discover the historic sites of the merchant marks. A free take-away map tracing the sites of Norwich's key merchants' marks will be one legacy of the project, better connecting medieval sites across the city in a year that will see the re-opening of the Norwich Castle’s Norman Keep and the launch of a new public access programme at the National Centre for Writing.
The activity will culminate in a week-long exhibition at the National Centre for Writing that will display Darren Leader's recreations of medieval merchants' marks, academic interpretation of the story of merchant antiquary John Kirkpatrick (1687-1728), and the workshop outcomes. The display will be interactive, giving visitors the opportunity to represent their own identities through creating marks at a self-guided makers' station.
Professor Sarah Barrow, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Arts and Humanities at UEA said: “The Being Human festival will be a fantastic showcase of some of the excellent research taking place in our Arts and Humanities Faculty. The festival is also a way to celebrate our longstanding and rich partnerships with several of the key cultural organisations working in the region. By working with the National Centre for Writing, Norfolk Library and Information Service and Norfolk Museums Service on creative workshops and an exhibition, we hope to reach diverse audiences across our city, inviting everyone to ‘make their mark’.”
Professor John Gordon, Academic Chair, CreativeUEA said: “The merchants’ marks are testament to Norwich’s independent spirit and are a superb way of bringing medieval history and UEA research to life. We hope that ‘Make Your Mark! Medieval Merchants' Marks Now’ will foster creative and innovative collaboration across the city and that our participation in the Being Human festival can be a springboard for future impact.”
Being Human is the UK’s national festival of the humanities. A celebration of humanities research through public engagement, it is led by the School of Advanced Study at the University of London, the UK’s national centre for the pursuit, support and promotion of research in the humanities. The festival works in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy.
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