60 Tongues of Bedford

Bedford Museum and the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery worked with young people from Bedford Foyer from October 2001 to February 2003. The partnership with the Foyer, which provides affordable accommodation for young people aged 16 - 25, started as a 6-month project funded by the Department for Education and Skills through the Campaign for Learning in Museums and Galleries. The project officer was Kate Morris.

The main aim was to encourage the young people to engage with the Museum and Gallery and see them as accessible and relevant places, where new skills could be learnt. Initially the young people learnt basic photography skills using both digital and standard cameras. Some then went on to learn darkroom skills.

Ghost tour of the Art Gallery with Foyer residents

With these skills the young people were able to create their own photostories, using the Museum and Gallery collections as inspiration. Hence there were several Victorian ghost stories, a Samurai story and one featuring a World War II ARP Warden. The young people also learnt computer skills such as scanning, digital manipulation of photographs and simple graphic design.

In February 2002 the group produced their own exhibition Opening Eyes in the Museum, featuring their photostories, a range of black and white photographs, some close-up body shots, over 30 of the 60+ languages that are used in Bedford and some poetry. The opening night was a great success attended by over 100 guests.

Once the initial funding ran out we were able to continue the partnership with Bedford Foyer on a smaller scale by securing funding on a project by project basis.

In May and June 2002 the group made a video as a contribution to 50 Golden Years - an exhibition that the Museum held to celebrate the Golden Jubilee and the changes in Bedford since 1952. This was made possible thanks to a grant from the Community Safety Fund. The video was titled 'Where do we all come from?' and contained interviews with a wide variety of people who had come to live in Bedford over the past 50 years. The young people who made the video were able to learn interviewing skills, video techniques and editing.

Thanks to further funding from The Bedford Charity the group started work on a second video aimed at young people of a similar age, traditionally the age group that is hardest to interest. Work on the video had to be halted due to unforeseen circumstances but there are plans to edit the film that the group worked on and produce the video in the near future.

Samurai artefacts digitally manipulated into a photostory

60 Tongues participant meeting the Mayor at the launch of Opening Eyes