Exploding the Archive Podcast #4 - Sarah Weston - Swallows and Anchors - Royal Navy men and their bodies as an archive of self expression

Tattooing has a long and abiding association with seamen. The image of the sailor, his arms bedecked with anchors, swallows and rigged ships, 'Hold Fast' across his knuckles, seem to be so commonplace and symbolically obvious as to not be worthy of further comment.

In this episode, we talk to Sarah Weston. Having undertaken a comprehensive study of the entire crew of HMS Invincible, sunk at the battle of Jutland in 1916, Sarah has recorded the tattoos of each and every sailor and, in doing so, has uncovered a world of complex and unexpected imagery.

Exploding the Archive · #4 Sarah Weston - Swallows And Anchors - Royal Navy Men And Their Bodies As An Archive

Exploding the Archive Podcast #3 - Dr Callum Easton - Jack Tar’s Retirement: The Greenwich Pensioners

In this episode, we speak with Dr Callum Easton about their research concerning the Greenwich Seamen’s Hospital and the lives of its residents. The Royal Hospital Greenwich was, between 1705 and 1869, home to veteran naval sailors. Greenwich Hospital was not only a residential charity, but also a versatile tool of national policy.

A Caird Research Fellow at the National Maritime Museum, Callum explains how - using sources ranging from paintings, caricatures, and poems - he is seeking to trace the changing portrayal of Greenwich pensioners from drunk and jolly old sea dogs to elderly heroes: custodians of the secrets of naval glory.

Exploding the Archive · #3 Dr Callum Easton And Jack Tar’s Retirement The Greenwich Pensioners

Exploding the Archive Podcast #2 - Katherine Griffiths - Lesbian archiving, memory making

In this episode, we speak with Katherine Griffiths about their research project 'Going Out, Coming Out, Playing Out'. As a DJ in London in the 1980s and 1990s, Katherine collected fliers, records, and mixtapes generated by the lesbian and straight club scenes. Now, reading for a PhD in History, Katherine is using this personal collection to build a picture of an undocumented music scene that Black and white lesbians created in London in the 1980s and 1990s.

In this conversation, Katherine explains how personal ephemera can be used and engaged with as archival artefacts to evoke memories and re-collect events.

Exploding the Archive · #2 - Katherine Griffiths - Lesbian archiving, memory making

Exploding the Archive Podcast #1 - Elise Bath and The Wiener Holocaust Library

In this episode of Exploding the Archive, Sarah and Ellis speak to Elise Bath of the Wiener Holocaust Library where she manages the International Tracing Service (ITS) Digital archive, which contains over 30 million documents related to the experiences of over 17.5 million people affected by Nazi persecution.

Exploding the Archive · #1 - Elise Bath and The Wiener Holocaust Library