The Memory Workshop and Memory Bike support the recording, archiving and digitisation of local voices and oral histories in and around the Olympic Park in East London.
The Memory Workshop
The Memory Workshop is a collecting and digitisation project within ourÌý°×С½ãÂÛ̳ÌýUrban RoomÌýat °×С½ãÂÛ̳ East.ÌýUsing the idea of lab-based learning, the workshop records oral histories within London and facilitates digitization of community and other collections on campus in our mini-studio. Student and partner users of the workshop can digitise vinyl records, VHS and cassette tapes as well as edit their own digital materials. This work is part of Urban Room’s commitment to supporting impactful student research and developing collaborations with artists, residents and organisations around the Olympic Park where °×С½ãÂÛ̳ East is located.
In 2023-2024 the Urban Room theme memory, focusing on making histories more accessible to the public as well as contributing to a further understanding the role that of memorialisation plays in society today. Select materials that are digitised and recorded in the Memory Workshop will become part of our Urban Room digital collection managed by °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Special Collections.
The Memory Bike
The Memory Bike is a bicycle-mounted recording and listening station and digital acoustic archive which supports the documentation and recording of local voices and everyday soundscapes. HousedÌýin theÌý°×С½ãÂÛ̳ÌýUrban Room,Ìýthe bike is a digitzation facility and collaborative archiveÌýandÌýan extension of the Memory Workshop.
The Memory Bike has been designed by students and researchers working inÌýThe Bartlett, °×С½ãÂÛ̳’s Faculty of the Built Environment andÌýThe School for the Creative and Cultural Industries, it is supported by °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Special Collections.
Find out more in the Memory Workshop and Bike handbook.
Equipment
The Memory Bike is equipped with a comprehensive set of oral history recording tools, conveniently packed into our ready-to-go backpacks.ÌýThis includes Zoom recorders, SD cards, microphones, headphones, as well as a mobile table and stools to facilitate interviews and oral histories.