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Strong Rooms Project update

  • 6th February 2017

In June 2016 we blogged about the exciting Strong Rooms project that Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service (WAAS) was taking part in. The Arts Council funded Strong Rooms Project is coming to a close at the end of February 2017 but Archives West Midlands will ensure a legacy for the art installation which toured the West Midlands during the summer of 2016. Throughout the project WAAS worked closely with Warwickshire County Council Archives, with Culture Coventry, with Dudley Archives and with lead artist Mohammed Ali of Soul City Arts and its production manager, Steve Mclean.

One of the Strong Room shipping containers, with exterior by artist Mohammed Ali

The two shipping containers, pictured here, were installed, consecutively, for one week each in Rugby, Coventry, Dudley and Worcester, attracting around 7,250 visitors. For the exterior, Mohammed depicted the story of a Warwickshire lady, Dorothie Feilding, who served the allied troops in World War 1 as an ambulance driver and nurse and who’s collection of family letters is curated by the County Record Office. The interior of each container houses several art pieces reflecting stories from across the West Midlands via audio and visual media.

The second Strong Room shipping container, showing a depiction of Dorothie Fielding, along with some of the team behind the Project

If you are inspired to do some archive research, remember you can visit us here at Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service or you can visit any of the partners: Culture Coventry; Dudley Archives and Warwickshire Record Office.

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