Where Do We Go From Here? — Audio Trail

Reading’s museums hold a vast array of objects that represent the lives of many different people. Like the diverse population of the town, these artefacts carry with them a diaspora of experiences. Items at Reading Museum convey the histories of local and global connections alike. Those in the Museum of English Rural Life welcome countryside […]

Museums offer a useful way to engage people in discussions about environmental change, habitat loss, and the climate crisis. But how good are museums at asking the right questions or at highlighting the right concepts? Taking a critical approach to the words, stories and images selected for display in The MERL, this online trail takes […]

UK farming relies on seasonal migrant workers to plant, harvest and pack fruit and vegetables. Over 90% of seasonal workers in the UK are migrants. Yet, they tend to be a hidden community across rural spaces. In previous exhibitions—on raspberries and strawberries—illustrations by Sarah Hannis showed the work of migrants and their role in food […]

Welcome to Our Green Stories, a Museums Partnership Reading campaign exploring climate change, sustainability, and biodiversity loss through collections. This online journey is designed to help us think about what we can do to care for the planet, both individually and collectively. The histories, practices, technologies, challenges, and solutions revealed as part of Our Green […]

This exhibition features a series of five object sets made by artist Alice Blackstock and designer/maker Philip Crewe. These investigate the making and meaning of a tool called a billhook. This 2019 collaboration began with a visit to see billhooks held at The MERL. It led to the creation of work exploring loss of purpose, [...]

Fast fashion is a business model for the clothing industry which is firmly embedded within Western culture. It produces cheap, accessible clothing that mimics the latest catwalk trends, and ensures that production costs remain as low as possible. At a time when the cost of living continues to rise, it is no surprise that the [...]

In a previous exhibition, illustrations by Sarah Hannis showed the work of seasonal migrants in winter. As we progress to warmer months, this exhibition shows the role of migrant workers during summer on a UK strawberry farm. The story is based on interviews with workers and on photos they shared during the Feeding the Nation […]

This exhibition is part of a new series exploring the role of seasonal migrant workers in UK food security. Illustrations by Sarah Hannis provide an insight into the lives of migrant agricultural workers who came to the UK in 2020 and 2021. The accompanying story is based on interviews with workers and on photos they […]