Share page on FacebookGale Warning over Ullapool
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Ullapool Museum Trust has gone through a renaissance following a root and branch review of all its functions during 2007-2008. This included the creation of a detailed set of policies and plans to take the museum development forward. This has resulted in a number of initiatives some of which are highly visible to the public. Others are not so obvious at present but will play an indispensible part in the enhancing the Trust and its aims. Here we will look at some of the most obvious. The development of a temporary exhibition and events programme was one of the first elements to be put in place. Following on from the success of the Lochbroom Lives oral history project and archive, which took the museum out into the community, the Trust saw the need for and invested in the creation of a dedicated temporary exhibition space. The wish to continue to strengthen links with the community and make it ‘their’ museum in every sense, led to the development of the Gale Warning Project. This project would not have been possible without the support of the Highland Culture Fund and Highland Council and Show Scotland. Volunteers the Trust has, but resources are very tight. |
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The original outline was - “ ...highlight the 1953 gale and its impact upon the lives of the people around Lochbroom. It will centre upon the joint efforts of the locals, the navy and army to rescue the vessels explore driven ashore in Loch Broom, as well as the local response to the wider events. By its nature the outset of the project will be largely historical. ..... and will link to present day attitudes to climate, climate change, environment ....” The project itself came to involve not only local schools, but also senior citizens groups, local heritage and environmental groups, as well as many individuals. Impetus for the whole project came from the volunteers at the Museum, who not only undertook the researching of the subject, but also the collecting of material, oral testimonies, the creation of a film recounting various aspects of the theme, creation of activities and organising events (musical, polemical, aesthetic, practical and fun), a ‘weather watchers network’ covering Lochbroom utilising local schools and weather stations and so on. The second main element of Gale Warning – changing environment was a project based on a series of photographic workshops by digital artist Suzy Lee. This has led to the creation of an exhibition of images and a book based around various aspects of the environment and changes within it in the local area. These range from themes based upon a repeated view over a long period of time - to images of rock pools taken in the space of a week-end, or rust...... Associated with the project have been sessions dedicated to making kites, barometers, wind gauges and other paraphernalia, as well as Gaelic song sessions, storytelling events and early music concerts. |
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The MUSEUMMACHINE likewise grew out of the forward plan. Reaching out to the scattered communities in Lochbroom and beyond as well as sustainability are central to the Trust. Using the successful model of the Hi Arts SCREENMACHINE II, the Trust was offered the opportunity to acquire a large box trailer capable of negotiating the twisty and narrow roads of the area. The idea of acquiring it would allow both displays and museum merchandise to be taken wherever there was a requirement. The Trust raised the funds to acquire the trailer however it still required considerable modification to render it fit for purpose. Support for the project was given by the Scottish Museums and Galleries. Much of the work was done by skilled volunteers or by a local professional at a considerably reduced rate. This included creation of a quick mount display system and display cases, shelving to carry the merchandise and for storage, new doors, roof etc. It also has its own generator and computer so that films, games and other interactive can be shown, and also that it is capable of use at night if required. |
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The website can also be seen as integral to the museum and its development. The museum is small, is housed in a Grade A listed building, and is perceived as being in a ‘remote’ part of the country. These circumstances can limit the footfall within the museum and so impact upon its ability to develop and care for its collections. In addition the museum by nature of its collections and locations receives many requests for information from wherever there was a Scots diaspora. A website capable of being more than a static page of text and images was flagged up as being a priority by the Trust in addition at the time the Trust did not own the domain it was using. The redevelopment of the site has been neither painless nor easy. Indeed almost as soon as the first version went live it was attacked by spammers and hackers who damaged it so that it had to be rebuilt twice. The idea of marketing elements of the museums photographic collection via the web led naturally to the idea of making the maximum amount of the Trust collections available online. It was also decided that a modest charge should be levied for access to this material, this would help aid further development of the site, as well as other activities of the Trust. Hence the development of the ‘virtual museum’. The Trust was fortunate that an IT company, Netcustodian , were on hand to support us in the task and undertook much of the development of the basic shell into which a small group of trained volunteers have begun loading in various elements. Netcustodian also host the site and set up the paysite element. In the long term the Trust aims to have its entire holdings available on line. At present there are about 3 hours of oral history recordings, a film on Lochbroom, as well as documentary material (census records, photographic collection, short histories, a database of deserted settlements, burial records and so on). This will be complimented by short articles on the ‘front’, available to any surfer, highlighting various aspects of the life and heritage of Lochbroom. All these developments are just part of an ambitious programme that the volunteers of the Trust are seeking to develop and implement over the coming years. This will ensure the sustainability of the museum and access to its resources as widely available as possible. |
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