Are you an Oxford University researcher?
Would you like to engage new audiences in your research?
Why not join us as part of the activities at the Ashmolean Museum Lates?
The Ashmolean is open late until 8pm on the last Friday of every month - Come and explore the museum after normal closing time, enjoy our latest exhibition, take in a talk, listen to some live music, or relax at the bar with friends after work.
TORCH can support you to develop a public engagement activity related to your research. We will also work with you to understand what your target audience is, and how you can evaluate your activity too.
Get in touch with Vicky McGuinness (victoria.mcguinness@humanities.ox.ac.uk) and Krisztina Lugosi (torch@humanities.ox.ac.uk) to share your ideas.
Please include in your email:
1) Your name and Department/Faculty
2) Your area of research
3) What type of activity you would like to do (if you are not sure, feel free to say – we can make suggestions)
4) Which Ashmolean After Hours you would like to be considered for:
For the Ashmolean After Hours event on Friday 28 February 2020:
Deadline for researchers: 5pm on 13 December 2019.
For the Ashmolean After Hours event on Friday 27 March 2020:
Deadline for researchers: 5pm on 24 January 2020.
Researcher Activities we are looking for:
Here are some suggestions of what works well for museum events:
1. Flashtalks (Typically 10-15 minute talks)
Sharp and to the point, so that it ‘grabs’ the audience – here are some great examples:
Prof Cathy Morgan (Classics) – FRIGHTFriday ‘Embodying Life and Death’: http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/fright-friday-embodying-life-and-death
Nisha Somasundaram (History) – Heroes and Villains ‘Valour, betrayal and desire: heroes and villains in Indian paintings’
http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/valour-betrayal-and-desire-heroes-and-villains-...
Prof Sally Shuttleworth (English) – FRIGHTFriday ‘Fear of Cats and 137 other phobias’:
http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/fright-friday-fear-cats-and-other-phobias
2. Make and takes
Is there an aspect of your research that the audience can get stuck into and make something? Perhaps something they can take home with them, or could the audience collectively contribute to a bigger piece on the night?
Researchers in the past have worked with audiences to ‘Make your own Weird Victorian Christmas Card’ or ‘Make your own Ancient Greek theatre mask’ or even ‘Make your own telegraph and morse code messages’.
3. Performaces (Typically 10-20 minutes)
Can you share your research through short pieces of spoken word, poetry, song, theatre, dance etc? It could also involve the audience learning a task, e.g. dance, drumming, knitting, games etc.
Examples have included readings, singing and performing related to the area of research – ancient dance and music etc.
Travel back with Dr Leah Broad (Music) to 1926 and hear recently found music by Swedish composter Ture Rangstrom, composed for a Strindberg play:
http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/lost-and-found-till-damaskus-iii
Prof Armand D’Angour (Classics) ‘Recreating the music of an ancient Greek chorus: Euripides Orestes’: http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/recreating-music-ancient-greek-chorus-euripides...
Musicians Dan Hulme and Nick Fowler perform ‘Night Dance (Fantasy)’ based on Oxford composer’s Robert Saxton (Music) original music: http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/performance-night-dance-fantasy
4. Games
Could your research be turned into a game? Card games, guessing games – all games welcome!
Great examples include:
‘Tudor Accidents’ Card Game - http://tudoraccidents.history.ox.ac.uk/
Prof Steven Gunn (History)
‘Mind-Boggling Medical History’ Card Game
http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/arts-blog/new-card-game-brings-mind-boggling-me...
Dr Sally Frampton (Theology and Religion) and Dr Sarah Chaney (Royal College of Nursing).
‘Mycelium’ Creative Thinking Game
https://rogueinterrobang.com/more-things/mycelium/
Dan Holloway (Rogue Interrobang)
