The 2015 oral history conference ‘Oral Histories of Science, Technology and Medicine at Royal Holloway, University of London, July 11-12, covered a diverse range of topics spanning agency in the lives of British scientists, changing treatments and attitudes in the field of mental health, and storytelling in veterinary oral histories, to name a few.
A particularly fascinating and thought-provoking session that I was honoured to chair was titled ‘Creative Uses of Oral History’. Filmmaker Juliet Brown discussed how she used oral histories in the making of her film Ecocide - Voices from Paradise, which tells the story of the ground zero BP oil spill in 2010 through the testimonies of those who live in the local community. Marta Moreno spoke about her work with the Reminiscence Theatre Archive at the University of Greenwich and the oral history and performance project Can we Afford the Doctor? which was made in the 1980s by Pam Schweitzer about the establishment of the National Health Service (NHS). Maria Everett shared her personal experience as an actor with the Reminiscence Theatre Company at the University of Greenwich and re-using the original oral history material from Can we Afford the Doctor? last year to re-create the performance and its relevance to new audiences today. These three presentations were stunning examples of the potential of oral history projects to have a powerful and meaningful impact, both on those who participate in them, as well as those who witness the finished and crafted works of art that oral histories can inspire.
A particularly fascinating and thought-provoking session that I was honoured to chair was titled ‘Creative Uses of Oral History’. Filmmaker Juliet Brown discussed how she used oral histories in the making of her film Ecocide - Voices from Paradise, which tells the story of the ground zero BP oil spill in 2010 through the testimonies of those who live in the local community. Marta Moreno spoke about her work with the Reminiscence Theatre Archive at the University of Greenwich and the oral history and performance project Can we Afford the Doctor? which was made in the 1980s by Pam Schweitzer about the establishment of the National Health Service (NHS). Maria Everett shared her personal experience as an actor with the Reminiscence Theatre Company at the University of Greenwich and re-using the original oral history material from Can we Afford the Doctor? last year to re-create the performance and its relevance to new audiences today. These three presentations were stunning examples of the potential of oral history projects to have a powerful and meaningful impact, both on those who participate in them, as well as those who witness the finished and crafted works of art that oral histories can inspire.
RSS Feed