"We have it in our power to begin the world over again" - radical thoughts and actions for radical times, July-December 2020. You can now listen and subscribe to the podcast here.
We are very pleased indeed to announce an exciting new partnership between the Working Class Movement Library and Walk the Plank which aims to use the radical thoughts and actions of the past - as documented within the Library’s collection - to prompt new thinking and share it through a series of podcast episodes.
Thanks to Arts Council England's Emergency Response Fund we have undertaken a project which aims to deliver a dynamic digital aspect to the sharing of the Library’s amazing collection, exploring digital possibilities in more depth via a creative engagement project supported by artists.
The project follows on from last year's hugely successful Bones of Paine project, and is inspired by a quote from Paine - “We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now. The birthday of a new world is at hand, and a race of men, perhaps as numerous as all Europe contains, are to receive their portion of freedom from the events of a few months. The reflection is awful, and in this point of view, how trifling, how ridiculous, do the little paltry cavilings of a few weak or interested men appear, when weighed against the business of a world.”
The project began with an overwhelming response to a creative call out and we've been working with a Social Media Curator and six artists who have worked in duos with a group of adults who took part in our previous collaboration, Bones of Paine (2019), to make six podcast episodes about significant aspects of the Library's collection and the thinking behind them, exploring parallels with our contemporary situation and what the future might look like:
Episode one: Inspiring women and women who are inspiring - launched 19.11.20; you can listen and subscribe to the podcast here.
Composer and sound artist Sarah Llewellyn working with Helen Jackson - more here.
Episode two: Is there grass growing in-between the cobbles? Roaming in and around the WCML archives - launched 23.11.20, listen here.
Artist Danielle Porter working with Hilary Friend - more here.
Episode three: How can Engels show us the way forward beyond 2020, as we ensure that "an ounce of action is worth a ton of theory"? - launched 26.11.20, listen here.
Composer Alan Williams working with Christina McAlpine - more here.
Episode four: The Establishment and the Welfare State. How much Paine before we change the world?- launched 30.11.20, listen here.
Composer and sound designer Dan Steele working with Peter Wright - more here.
Episode five: Can solidarity make a comeback? - launched 3.12.20, listen here
Artist Alison Surtees working with Tracy Drysdale - more here.
Episode six: Addressing the British Empire - a conversation about institutional racism - launched 7.12.20, listen here
Artist Danielle ‘Lae’ Carbon-Wilson working with Jemma Bromley - more here.
The podcast was launched on 19 November, History Day 2020, and as part of the Being Human Festival, the UK's national festival of the humanities. As well as Arts Council England we'd like to acknowledge contributions from the Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund and the University of Salford. You can watch our launch event here, and our podcast trailer here.
Begin the World Over Again image created by Polyp www.polyp.org.uk.
Introductions by Reece Williams / additional production by Siân Roberts
Social Media Curator Siân Roberts
Oral history with Betty Tebbs/Benny Rothman digitised in 2020 by Unlocking Our Sound Heritage at Archives+, Manchester, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
A press release about the start of the project can be found here, and a further press release marking the podcast launch is here.
You can also view Manchester Nature Consortium’s Youth Panel Wild Adventures film, an outcome of our project, at youtube.com/watch?v=Yxtx7r
