NRP for Sussex at the halfway mark

The National Recording Project for Sussex at the halfway mark

Work on the National Recording Project for public monuments and sculpture in Sussex continues to progress well. The project is now halfway through its two-year lifespan and there are 285 objects currently detailed on the database. It is anticipated that this number represents approximately 50% of the total number of diverse objects found in the County. The associated and extensive image archive continues to be developed, often holding 20-25 images of each piece, depending on its complexities and its level of detail.

Although all regional archives take images, the University of Brighton’s is likely to be the most extensive archive. Some limited work on the Liverpool University Press volume, ‘Public Sculpture of Sussex’ is already taking place alongside the surveys. Although the database should eventually hold detailed information on approximately 600 of the County’s monuments and sculpture, a selection of the more important pieces, approximately 200, will be selected to feature in the book. The project has a new website. This is in its infancy but is slowly being added to with new sections and downloads. It can be accessed via the University’s Centre for Research and Development website. The project team are grateful to Michael Wilson and Rob Greens from the Centre for Research and Development for their help and support in developing the website.

The project team, Peter Seddon, Jill Seddon and Anthony McIntosh, recently presented three papers at the Social History Society Conference in Rotterdam. The papers were well received and the conference was useful in promoting the research activities of the project, the University and the PMSA. The abstracts for the team’s papers are available to download from the project website as are a list of all the conference papers and an application form for the SHS. The team are grateful to Paddy Maguire, Head of the School of Historical and Critical Studies, for his generous support in enabling them to attend the conference. The project continues to be a springboard for other associated activities. Anthony McIntosh is currently working on a brief for a three-day project with Alice Fox and her highly respected Access to Art/ Rockets programme. This would be delivered to a group of young adults with complex needs. Anthony has past experience in teaching children and young adults with complex disabilities, and Alice Fox had just validated an MA in Inclusive Arts Practice.

The project team are in early discussions with Alex Watterson, a Research Officer in CMIS, about a digital, location-based learning system. This would involve the use of mobile technology to access information about monuments and sculptures and creating an ontological classification for some of our data. This is in its early stages but could be an exciting and innovative direction for the project. The project team are currently working with four Graphic Design undergraduates in developing a sculpture trail that covers fifteen objects in Brighton. The ‘booklet‘ type designs are due to be completed shortly. The team will be seeking local funding for an initial print-run and will also be making the trail available via the website. It is hoped that other trails will subsequently be developed.

A programme of further dissemination events is currently being planned with presentations for regional heritage and history associations. The team have also been asked to run a study day about the work of the project for the University of the Third Age.

The current project ends on 10 April 2009. The team, however plan to submit a funding bid for a further two years. This will be primarily to work on the LUP volume but would also provide an opportunity to develop other project related initiatives.