How do you inspire thousands of people to uncover their own history on their doorstep? Through Dig Manchester, the city’s flagship community archaeology project, people worked alongside professional archaeologists from the University of Manchester on community excavations across the city, a public engagement venture on an ambitious scale.
Archaeology, as we discovered, has a unique power to bring people of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences together to connect with their own history and heritage, whilst learning new skills and being part of something in which everyone plays an equal role:- working as a team with vast numbers of children from local schools, the ‘dig’ emerged as a powerful force to bring people together with a renewed sense of place and community identity, and as a means through which aspiration and confidence could be raised.
To attract people from all ages, backgrounds and experiences as well as a host of local schools and organisations to take part in Dig Manchester called for a bespoke approach to audience development, marketing and media from Dovetail, working in a collaborative partnership spanning the University of Manchester, The Manchester Museum and the city council regeneration teams across the city.
Our brief was underpinned by a simple ethos:- ‘We will never turn anyone away’ (Simon Askew, Manchester Community Archaeologist) – and we didn’t.
Over three years people from 3 to 80 took part in digs up to four weeks long. Each dig culminated in a fascinating weekend of arts and history, site tours and music as thousands flocked to see what had been uncovered. With our involvement, and unheralded regional and national media coverage, over the years, the partnership built momentum gaining new funders and collaborators to support and drive forward its participatory work.
Client: Dig Manchester Partnership – The University of Manchester Archaeological Unit, Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit, The Manchester Museum, Manchester City Council Regeneration Teams, South Manchester Archaeological Research Team and Moston and District Archaeology and Social History Group.
What we did: audience/participant development and stakeholder engagement, brand development, marketing and communications/PR, creative documentation through photography, film, creative writing.
Design: Shanleys
Photography: Paul Cliff and Jan Chlebik
