We are living through an unprecedented global event. Lockdown, social distancing and home working have become part of our daily lives. The Box wants to capture your memories of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to create a record for future generations to understand how and why our lives changed in 2020.
The Box is looking for creative responses that reflect the experiences and voices from Plymouth residents and workers of all ages. These could include:
- diary entries
- video blogs
- video footage
- poems
- songs
- creative writing pieces
The Box would like to know how people felt during this time, the ways different communities pulled together, the experiences of key workers on the frontline and the challenges or joys of home schooling.
The submissions will then be gathered together and the COVID-19 memory box will form part of the city’s archive collections.
The Box Plymouth uses its collections to connect people with the lived experiences of our city and region. The story we tell us is one of place and people evolving through time. It is just as vital to collect the experiences of people living in Plymouth today as it is to record the history of Plymouth over the past 3,000 years.
Nicola Moyle Head of Heritage, Art and Film at The Box, said: "Coronavirus has changed all our lives and it's incredibly important that we grasp the opportunity to record this unique moment in time. We would love to hear from you and can't wait to read your stories and see your pictures."
Although the project is aimed at residents of all ages, a specific element will be to create an archive relating to the experiences of Plymouth’s young people during the period of disruption caused by the coronavirus.
Councillor Jemima Laing, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “The Coronavirus pandemic will have had an effect on all our residents but part of this work is also about understanding what life was like in lockdown for Plymouth’s children and young people as they will be able to offer a unique perspective. We have some really creative young people and I’m looking forward to seeing how they share their experiences for future generations.”
The COVID-19 Memory Box project is running alongside photography competition called ‘A New Normal: Life Through a Lens’ which is aiming to capture what life has been like during lockdown and in the phases that have followed as restrictions have started to ease.
The deadline for submissions is Sunday 6 September. They will form a new archive for the Box Plymouth and may be used in future local history projects and exhibitions.
You may upload up to 10 items at any one time. Photos should be no more than 10mb in size. Videos should be no more than 50mb in size.
To add your submission to the Plymouth’s COVID-19 memory bank visit https://plymouth-self.achieveservice.com/service/Covid_19_Memory_Box
Please remember The Box is currently closed, so do not send anything by post or leave anything at the museum.