Latest news with #YorkMuseumsTrust
The Guardian
10-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Clash of cultures: exhibition tells story of when Vikings ruled the north of England
When Anglo-Saxons buried their jewellery in an attempt to keep it safe from marauding Vikings, it is unlikely they envisaged their treasures would be dug up a millennium later and studied by their descendants. Nor would they have expected the items to sit alongside everyday objects owned by their Scandinavian oppressors as part of the largest exhibition of Viking-age artefacts in the UK, aiming to tell the story for the first time of the invaders' power base in the north of England. 'This is the finest collection of objects from Viking-age England that you can see on display in a museum in this country,' says Dr Adam Parker, curator of archaeology at York Museums Trust. Viking North, which opens on Friday, focuses on the settlement of the Viking Great Army, as it is known, which arrived in the north of England from Scandinavia in AD866 and spent two centuries controlling the territory. Among the exhibits are examples of the Vikings' great wealth, some of which appeared to be raided from holy sites, such as an Anglo-Saxon silver-gilt bowl with Christian symbolism on it found buried with a Viking warrior. Religious symbolism was important – after seeing Christians wearing crosses around their necks, Vikings took to wearing pendants in the shape of Thor's hammer from their own pagan beliefs. A recent discovery of one on display for the first time is a 'little microcosm of this whole exhibition' says Parker, as it combines fashions from different parts of the world. 'It's showing a coming together of cultures, it's a development in cultural change, it represents the creation of Anglo-Scandinavian identity in the north in the ninth and 10th centuries AD, in an object,' he said. But not every piece of jewellery found was of high value at the time. Another piece in the exhibition is made of copper and is gilded to look like gold. Parker says: 'It's a cheap object designed to look expensive – if you like, the Viking version of Claire's Accessories.' What makes the upcoming exhibition particularly interesting, says Parker, is that it is primarily 'a story of geopolitical change and a clash of cultures'. It features an interactive graphic video showing what the Vikings' temporary settlements would have looked like in the north of England as the settlers expanded into the new territory. This is based on emergent research, some of which has not yet been published, into how the Vikings would have lived outside the main urban centres, such as York, known by the Vikings as Jorvik. Though the invaders' pillaging of monasteries for treasure – and their killing of anyone who stood in their way – is common knowledge, the exhibition also sheds light on another dark part of Viking history, one that is not widely talked about. 'I think we need to be quite open about this, that we don't think about the Vikings as a slave-owning society, but slavery and captured people is one of the fundamental exports of England after the Viking raids,' Parker says. One exhibit is a carving from a grave that appears to show an Anglo-Saxon woman being captured and enslaved, likely into a forced marriage. There would have 'undoubtedly' been people enslaved in the north of England who were sold and eventually ended up in the Middle East, says Parker. Part of a large hoard of Islamic coins on display from what is now Iraq are one clue to the forced migration that took place despite the missing biographies of enslaved people. 'It's nearly impossible for us to identify them archaeologically,' says Parker. 'There are some historical sources that talk about the presence of enslaved people – they had no rights, they didn't have great outcomes of life, as you know – but it's part of history that's completely hidden to us, and so taking the opportunity to try to represent that again is quite important for us.' Viking North is at the Yorkshire Museum in York from Friday 11 July 2025
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Museums put trigger warning on new training booklet about trigger warnings - because it mentions addiction, natural disasters, slavery and poverty
A group of museums have put a trigger warning on a new training manual about trigger warnings because it mentions 'sensitive' topics like poverty and the slave trade. The 'Trigger Toolkit' aims to foster a new generation of leaders that can tackle the challenge of 'reducing the likelihood of an emotional trigger occurring'. But ironically, the guide has slapped its own bright red warning on one of its first few pages, which reads: 'The following two pages contain potentially triggering content.' The booklet was released by Museum Development North - a partnership funded by Arts Council England between York Museums Trust, the Manchester Museums Partnership, Cumbria Museum Consortium and North East Museums - and it will help staff during their training. The pamphlet states it is 'intended to support organisations working across the sector to take a practical approach to preventing, responding to and managing a triggering event within a training session', adding: 'It supports and can be part of an organisation's tools and training for becoming more equitable, diverse and inclusive.' According to the guide, emotional triggers are likely within the heritage sector because staff may have to review collections that include 'racist and intolerant artefacts' that could trigger childhood trauma and spark memories of 'offensive language and name calling.' Ironically, the guide has slapped its own bright red warning on one of its first few pages, which reads: 'The following two pages contain potentially triggering content' It also teaches managers how to support those who have become triggered and follow up with them to make sure they have the appropriate support. Topics discussed which could be seen as potentially triggering include modern day slavery, hate speech, debt, divorce, childbirth, miscarriages, violence and warfare, among others. An end note adds: 'The tools and techniques shared in this toolkit are collated with the intention of supporting individuals and organisations to prepare and deliver training with greater consideration of equity, diversity and inclusion. 'These are issues central to modernising the heritage sector, and if addressed with intention, compassion, and care, will grow the reach and impact of organisations' cultural offering.' Mental health policy expert Liz Main, who has studied trigger warnings, said: 'On balance I think trigger warnings can be a good thing as they can stop someone from seeing something that may upset them. 'However the fact that the booklet is about trigger warnings would indicate to staff that there may be emotionally distressing content in there.' Museum Development North was contacted for comment but has not responded. The pamphlet comes at a time when, in the last couple of months alone, cultural relics slapped with trigger warnings include George Orwell's 1984, Shakespeare's Hamlet, and an iconic BBC show.
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Light and sound show planned at Museum Gardens in York
A light and sound installation will be held amid the ruins of an abbey in York later this Museum Gardens are home to the Yorkshire Museum and include the remains of St Mary's installation by Luxmuralis will tell the story of the historic site from Roman times with contemporary light and music, with shows taking place from 24 October to 2 Walker, artistic director of Luxmuralis, said: "By drawing inspiration from the museum's collections, this light installation will reimagine the architecture and landscape in an entirely new and transformative way." Luxmuralis has previously put on events at the Tower of London and St Paul's Walker said they had collaborated with the Yorkshire Museum to deliver a "truly distinctive experience". Siona Mackelworth, from York Museums Trust, said it would be a "special and bespoke" show."This is a celebration of all that the Yorkshire Museum brings to the city, its history and the location as the repository of great discoveries and stories."Echoes of Yorkshire will last one hour and will be shown on 10 nights with tickets available to book soon, according to the York Museums show is on a constant loop and once inside viewers can take their own time to journey through the experience, organisers said. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
On this day in 2015: artists' garden underway behind York Art Gallery
On this day in 2015, the York Press reported that a previously hidden corner of York city centre was being opened to the public for the first time in 100 years. Work had begun on creating an artists' garden and edible wood behind York Art Gallery, linking to the Museum Gardens, Marygate, and Exhibition Square. York Museums Trust said the two-acre site was last used by the public when much of it was the Great Hall, a huge exhibition space attached to the gallery when it was built in 1879. The hall closed in 1909 after it was deemed unsafe and was then destroyed in a German bombing raid in 1942. The garden was set to open to the public on Yorkshire Day, August 1, 2015. Alison Pringle, gardens manager for York Museums Trust, said at the time: "This site is truly a hidden corner of York's city centre which we can't wait to reveal to the public. "It was first enclosed by the monks of St Mary's Abbey in 1266, and for the majority of the 700 years that followed it has been off-limits and hidden behind the high abbey walls. "For a long time it was orchards and pasture owned by the abbey, so, in a way, the creation of an edible wood will hark back to the area's past, while the new artists' garden will give the city a versatile space for a wide range of arts events." The design work was by landscape architects Erika Diaz Peterson and JCLA, while contractor Simpson was said to have begun work on the garden site.
