Could you organise and stage a performance of traditional Chinese music in Leeds Central Library? As part of the School of Media and Communication project 'Digital Community Workspaces' we would like to invite University of Leeds Music and Management MA students to collaborate with us.
Do you have a story about how you or your family came to Leeds? Would you like to record it for future generations or share it with others? How do you celebrate your Chinese heritage and culture whilst living in Leeds? Through food, festivals, stories, songs, or by watching favourite films? 您是否有一个关于您本身或是家人如何来到利兹的故事？ 您是否想与他人分享在利兹的生活经验？ 您是否愿意录制下来供后人参考，或是与他人分享您身在英国时， 是如何庆祝华人传统文化与节日? 通过食物、节日、故事、歌唱或是观赏喜爱的电影?
In 2017 the University of Leeds and Leeds Central Library are inviting residents of Leeds’ Chinese Community to contribute to an online exhibition, 'Leeds is my Home' which seeks to explore their relationship with the City and share their stories. We are using the digital storytelling platform YARN (yarncommunity.org) to create this exhibition.
A photograph from Leodis which shows Kirkgate decorated as a Chinatown for Civic Week in 1928.
Leeds Libraries have a fantastic archive of historic photographs of Leeds housed on Leodis (http://www.leodis.net/) but gaps in this archive and others kept by Leeds Central Library mean that the stories of various sectors of the community, including the City’s Chinese residents, are underrepresented.
Working with staff and pupils at Leeds Chinese Community School we're exploring Leeds’ historic archive before creating digital stories on the Yarn platform which integrate these artefacts with participants own stories, memories, images and film.
Another Leodis imagine showing buildings at the junction of Boar Lane and Albion Street in 1963. The Kee Hong Chinese Restaurant is just visible on the left (Boar Lane).
University of Leeds MA students shooting footage for a film about Leeds Chinese Community School.
As part of our project, we have been working with MA and PhD students to create films about the project and about Leeds Chinese Community School. As well as speaking to permanent residents, we're interested in learning about the experiences of Chinese students temporarily living in Leeds.
In May 2017 we attended a performance of Chinese music organised by students from the School of Music. Since one of our project aims is to foster two-way exchange between Leeds Library and Leeds' Chinese community, it occurred to us that staging a musical performance within the library might be an ideal way to bring the two together, whilst also involving students.
Central Library has two spaces which would be ideal for staging a music performance: either the local studies and Family History Library or Room 700.
Performances could be enhanced by the inclusion of archive materials from either Leeds Library or Leeds Museums and Galleries.
Film pieces already created for the project could be used as part of the performance.
If you are interested in pursuing this opportunity and perhaps visiting the archives held by Leeds Library please get in touch!
We will be holding a drop-in digital storytelling workshop in Central Library on Saturday 25th November, 10:30am-1pm.
Rosie Wilkinson: r.h.wilkinson@leeds.ac.uk
Research Assistant, Digital Community Workspaces
https://digitalcommunity.leeds.ac.uk/