Reimagining Derby's History for its Civic Future

About the event

Nearly a hundred years ago, even before it was a city, Derby Borough Corporation took the town to Wembley. Over ten days, in July 1924, its political, social, industrial and civic elites combined forces to create an ambitious display at the British Empire Exhibition to tell the story of an ‘ancient’ town that was now the modern progressive centre of the Empire. Using ‘living history’ re-enactments of its traditional crafts, an enormous mural of Derby’s history and artwork by students from the School of Art, the aim was to make ‘the Empire know who we are and what we can do’.

Join Cath Feely, Jo Ray, and students from History and Design at the University of Derby, to hear about new collaborative research in partnership with the Museum of Making which explores this history and the politics of reimagining and re-enacting narratives of industrial history one hundred years on. Who and what shaped the display of Derby’s civic identity? Why were some events and themes in Derby’s development emphasised and others left out? How far have these stories changed and what others should be highlighted in a post-imperial world? In this interactive workshop, get hands on with and learn how you can get involved in remixing Derby’s history for the twenty-first century. 

Meet the speaker