A NEW history project is being launched at the Museum of English Rural Life, to mark its 70th anniversary.
The 51 Voices project will connect people with the collections, from textiles and texts to straw crafts and souvenirs.
Artists, community groups, specialists, makers, museum volunteers and the public can get involved and connect with items from 1951.
Dr Ollie Douglas, curator of Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) collections, said: “Each object, book, artwork or archival item that has been chosen has a strong link to 1951 but also resonates powerfully with 2021.
“By looking more closely at these amazing and diverse things we want to share and develop our understanding of the links between the countryside seven decades ago and life today with the public.
“These collections, including iconic material from the Festival of Britain, already mark a previous moment of renewal.
“Now 70 years on, and in these unprecedented times, this is the perfect moment to look at them again to explore reconstruction and regeneration. They are a springboard to thinking about our future as much as our past.”
The objects and voices will be revealed online regularly during the year, including through blogs and an online exhibition.
Events are planned to tie in with the Festival of Britain anniversary.
For more information, visit: merl.reading.ac.uk