The Reimagine, Remake, Replay project will enable young people to enhance museum collections by making and curating their own exhibitions, taking over museum and gallery spaces and re-interpreting existing exhibits.
Four thousand young people aged 16-25 from across Northern Ireland will be involved in the new four-year project. Seven museums and galleries will open up their collections of fine and applied arts, furniture, costume and textiles, maritime and industrial heritage and archaeology and archives for the young people to explore. The young people will pick up a host of new skills to help reimagine these collections and create new interpretive materials that incorporate new, modern technologies into the displays.
Activities and training will be provided to allow them to write, cast and direct their own films, develop interactive events and exhibitions, create apps and games, and use 3D scanners and printers and virtual reality and 3D filmmaking technology.
The project will be delivered by the Nerve Centre, a leading creative media arts centre, in partnership with National Museums Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen and Northern Ireland Museums Council.
Funding for the project was awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) through its Kick the Dust programme. Announcing the award, Head of HLF Northern Ireland, Paul Mullan, said: 'Thanks to National Lottery players, this ambitious project will give young people the skills they need to create imaginative, engaging content that gives new perspective and relevance to our heritage.
'The fantastic network of partner museums and galleries will provide unique access to their collections, giving a real ‘hands-on’ opportunity for the young people and helping them to connect to their heritage in meaningful ways. We are looking forward to seeing how they respond to the collections, what is of importance and value to them, and how they use these to reflect their own identity and sense of the past while still connecting to our collective heritage.'
Welcoming news of the award, David Lewis, Director of Digital Content and Communications at the Nerve Centre, said: “The Nerve Centre and our partners are delighted with this significant level of investment from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Reimagine, Remake, Replay is an ambitious, regional project that will create exciting opportunities for young people to engage with heritage in ways that are relevant to their lives and aspirations.
'Young people will have unique access to the fantastic collections of the Ulster Museum, a range of local museums and Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive through the project. We’re excited to work with the partners to bring this project to life and to bring a creative approach to exploring their collections.'