Briefing Notes: Workshop 2
The second workshop of the Ecologies of Modern Heritage research cluster took place at Bletchley Park on 6-7 July 2009. The aim of the two days was to develop the concepts identified by each research group during Workshop 1, and to draft a brief outline research proposal to be presented to the Ecologies of Modern Heritage Forum audience on 8 July.
The groups gathered at Bletchley Park on 6 July and debriefed on activities, contacts and developments that had taken place during the interim period after Workshop 1 in April 2009. This included information from the Transmission Group regarding a small scale excavation and on-site field-walking exercise that had been initiated by the core group members and volunteers from ARCUS, University of Sheffield. The other groups discussed their development of ideas and shared information about the progress they had made in furthering their investigations.
During Workshop 2 research groups were expanded by the addition of invited collaborators, chosen for their ability to offer specific expertise and assist in developing the details of the research proposals further. All four research groups had involvement from external parties, including art curators, microbiologists, GIS researchers, artists and photographers. At Workshop 2 additional participants were introduced to the site and actively involved in exploratory fieldwork activities. In addition to the groups established at the April workshop (Decay, Transmission, Systems, History/Memory) a further group was created to explore the development of the Bletchley Park site and Trust as a manifestation of planning law changes and developments. This group carried out a field-walking expedition around the present and past boundaries of the site (consideration was also given to a range of unofficial and temporary internal ‘boundaries’ that impacted on access and movement around the site).
Over the course of the two days the majority of the time was spent working in research groups to develop ideas, explore the site further and conduct active fieldwork and negotiation of the materials of the site. Group access to some areas of the site usually closed to public access was arranged, and some film and photo-documentation was carried out. At frequent intervals the separate groups came together to share how their proposals were developing and to discuss potential strengths and weaknesses of their approaches and possible ways forward. These formal feedback sessions were an important element of the Workshop and the input of Jeremy Lake, English Heritage, specifically relating to the history and development of the site, was integral.
Decay
The group exploring the theme of 'decay' explored the potential for research that aimed to marry arts and science approaches to the macro, micro and aesthetic elements of decay at heritage sites. The group suggested bringing together heritage practitioners, photographers, artists, geographers, archaeologists, microbiologists and chemists in an attempt to explore the nature of decay on organic structures, such as the temporary wood buildings found at Bletchley Park and mirrored at numerous WWI and WWII sites throughout the UK. This proposal explored the multiple layers involved in understanding the decaying process as an academic as well as aesthetic experience, and speculated about how to communicate this to a broad heritage audience.
Core Group Members: Caitlin Desilvey, Chris Hall, Eric May, and Laura McAtackney (invited members: Elizabeth Masterton, Mark Jones)
Transmitting
The group developing ideas around the theme of 'transmission' explored the role of Bletchley Park in the transmission of knowledge, through its role in WWII and the burgeoning computer age. It aimed to examine how knowledge is transmitted about and through the site, both in the past and present, through a number of strategies, including archaeological, documentary film and oral testimony techniques. The group reported on initial fieldwork conducted using archaeological methodologies, including excavation of a number of test pits and field-walking around the site. This fieldwork investigated the possible location of a number of previously standing structures, while facilitating interactions between the researchers, heritage professionals and members of the public. Such interactions with public not only sparked an interest in the history and development of the site, but also allowed information to be passed to the group during the course of the excavation, field-walking and filmmaking activities.
Core Group Members: Anna Badcock, Jane Jacobs, and John Schofield (invited member: Gair Dunlop)
Systems
The research group who structured their discussions around 'Systems' brought together contemporary art, creative writing and archaeology. The discussions here focused on how the site has emerged over time from systems of information exchangs. The interaction between the site and the local art community (represented by the Milton Keynes Gallery) was explored, and a proposal was put forward to suggest the potential use of some of the standing and structurally sound derelict buildings as artists’ spaces. It was hoped that this would reinvigorate the creative impulses that characterised Bletchley Park during its involvement with intelligence activities during and after WWII. Such creative and outward-looking interactions were proposed as a means of practically engaging the site with local, regional and national artistic communities
Core Group Members: Brian Dillon, Jim Dixon, and Jeremy Millar
History/Memory
The History/Memory group consisted of archaeologists, forensic anthropologists, planners and technical experts who wanted to explore how to open up the site to a more technologically- advanced visitor experience through the appropriate use of innovative IT methods. The proposal aimed to enhance the science/heritage experience in presenting the site in varied and multiple interpretative approaches, that could be accessed on site or online. GIS was proposed as a tool to map the site. An indication was also given of the type of layered information that would allow on-line visitors to explore the site and effectively ‘game’ the experience of working at Bletchley Park during WWII.
Core Group Members: Sefryn Penrose, Layla Renshaw, and Stephen Shaw (invited member: Claire Ellul)
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