This workshop is supported by the AHRC project “Donbas in Focus: Visions of Industry from the Ukrainian East. Donbas in Focus is a research project based at the University of St Andrews, supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, led by Dr Victoria Donovan.
It explores the cultural construction of Donbas, a heavily industrialised region in Eastern Ukraine through a series of workshops, exhibitions and publications, exploring synergies and comparisons with (post-)industrial sites in England, Wales and Scotland.
Through archival research, artistic collaboration and community engagement, the project prompts a reappraisal of the value of post-industrial history and heritage, highlighting its potential for stimulating innovation in education, creativity and tourism. For more information see our website https://donbasinfocus.wordpress.com and follow us on Instagram @monotown
Donbas and North East England are both old industrial regions with rich and complex histories of mining and steelworks. Both have also experienced enforced deindustrialization driven by neoliberal state policies. In Donbas, deindustrialization was also precipitated by the violent neoimperial war waged by Russia against Ukraine in 2014, which escalated in February 2022.
In this workshop, we attempt to think through the value of industrial heritage in the context of rapid social change and postindustrialization. As the physical destruction and demolition of industrial infrastructure transforms the landscape, the rich histories and cultures of the people who lived in these regions and worked in these industries are often rendered invisible. And while post-industrialization is welcomed by elites and some groups within the local communities, it is often accompanied by the silencing of working-class voices and the erasure of local working-class cultures.
In this workshop, we explore the value of industrial heritage, both tangible and intransient.
What heritage is deemed to be valuable and worthy of preservation, and by whom?
What is the role of local communities and activists in establishing the value of industrial heritage?
Can community heritagization and cultural response to deindustrialization resist erasure and contribute to more just post-industrial transitions?
We will explore these questions during a day-long workshop, conducted in cooperation with Redhills and Amber Collective.
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE:
10.00-10.30: Arrival and Welcome (Victoria Donovan, University of St Andrews and Nick Malyan, CEO of Redhills)
10.30-11.30: Visit to Durham Mining Museum & Gallery
11.30-11.45: Coffee Break
11.45-12-15: Un-archiving: Engaging Community archives and creative responses to deindustrialization. Short presentations from speakers: Bryan Dixon (Filmmaker/Learning and Participation/Director of Amber Film and Photography Collective, Durham; Anhelina Rozhkova (Director of the Pokrovsk Local History Museum, Donetsk region, Ukraine); Robin Chesters (Director of the Museum of the Scottish Oil Shale Industry, West Lothian, Scotland)
12.15-1-15: Unarchiving the Archives (interactive work around tables with industrial heritage collections moderated by our speakers)
1.15-2.30: Lunch + Digital Showcase (guests are invited to explore 3D visualisation and VR projects relating to the industrial history and heritage of Durham and Ukraine. Featured projects include: Education 4 Action’s Mining the Memories; The Shale Trail; Saltway; Dorman Long VR; Online talk by Oleksandr Hore about the work of Mariupol Local History Museum )
2.30-3.30: Emergency Archiving: Threats to (industrial) heritage collections in the UK and Ukraine. Short presentations from speakers: Dmytro Bilko (Former Director of Donetsk Local History Museum – pre-recorded), Yevheniia Kalugina (Director of Sloviansk Local History Museum), and Connor Clements (Dorman Long Tower Reimagine: A Virtual Reality Experience)
