WORKING LIFE: BELIEF, CUSTOM, RITUAL, NARRATIVE
All of the conference talks will take place in Room L22 G01 of the University of Reading, London Road Campus (5 mins walk from the Museum) (Full programme and booking information) Programme Summary Friday 27th 13.00 Registration opens at University of Reading, London Road campus, Room L22 G01 14:00 Welcome to the conference, by Dr […]
SPRING CHICKENS
Join us for a day of fun games, craft activities, live music… and chickens! Live music from The Newtowners Meet the MERL chickens and their friends Meet poultry keepers – Members of the Reading & District Bantam Society will be showcasing their birds Egg and Spoon races Egg Rolling – decorate and egg and roll it […]
NOW ONLINE: EASTER HOLIDAYS AT THE MERL
Online Easter Programme We’ve moved our Easter holiday events programme online! If you were looking forward to visiting The MERL this Easter, look out for online activities that will be posted here and on social media throughout the holidays! 11am – Tuesday 7th & 14th April– Virtual & Reality Pull up a seat, climb on […]
KNIT A SONG OF SHEEP BELLS
What to expect: This workshop speaks to the sheep bells in the collection at the MERL. Participants will create a set of jingly stitch markers and knit a small sheep bell based on one from the collection. The stitch markers will be recorded in action, along with participants’ thoughts on sheep bells and knitting bells. […]
LADYBIRD IN FOCUS: MAKING AND CRAFT
Do you enjoy making and crafting? Do you Knit, Sew or Upcycle regular household items into new things? Making and craft was a popular theme for Ladybird, appearing across multiple series and allowing the creation of a subsection of the Hobbies and Interests series entitled ‘How to make’. The crafts within these series focus primarily […]
KNIT A SONG OF SILKWORMS
What to expect: This workshop speaks to a book held in the collection of the MERL, documenting the process of silk-farming at Lullingstone, Kent. Participants will knit an extremely fine i-cord bracelet using reeled silk grown on Lullingstone silk farm and pairs of extremely fine needles. Thoughts on working with this material will be recorded. […]
KNIT A SONG OF SHEPHERDS
What to expect: This workshop speaks to the farmers’ smocks in the collection of the MERL. Participants will work a small square of smocking stitch in Herdwick wool yarn grown on Fornside Farm in the Lake District. Thoughts on the wool, its texture, and its relationship to the working Lakeland landscape will be recorded along […]
THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY FARMING: PROPOSALS
What would you put in a Museum of Contemporary Farming? At this event, we ask ‘What would you put in a Museum of Contemporary Farming?’ Invited guests will present ideas – however impossible, imaginary or boring – and it is up to you, the audience, to decide whether they should be included in the Museum. […]
THE PIG PARK AND OTHER EXPERIMENTS
What makes a good life…for a pig? Andrea Roe’s recent artworks focus on pigs and their behaviour. They are the result of working at Scotland’s Rural College, where she explored the nature of animal consciousness. In CARNEVALE: Objects Designed for Pigs, Andrea collaborated with artist Cath Keay to create play objects which might appeal to both humans […]
BELONGING
Belonging is a multi-site exhibition curated by final-year Museum Studies students Do you belong? As social animals we feel compelled to seek out the company of others. We place ourselves into groups and categories. We define our identities by how similar or different we are to other people. Yet sometimes belonging can lead to exclusion. […]