Carnival Archive

Celebrating  the Heritage of UK Carnival Culture

The UK Centre for Carnival Arts is planning the first ever National Carnival Archive. This is an amazing opportunity to create dynamic, fun and inter-active carnival archives as well as developing inclusive and inspiring partnerships throughout the UK. This mammoth archive project will share the potent stories of carnival so that they are preserved for generations present and future, to access, enjoy and learn from. The UKCCA National Carnival Archive will provide a digital resource for the evolution of carnival that will ultimately raise the status of carnival arts and the culturally diverse and rich heritage that they arise from.

By creating dynamic spaces, both physically and virtually, it is intended that these archives will be used to stimulate innovation and encourage research, both amongst carnival artists, in the traditional archival and educational sectors as well as amongst those who would not normally use a traditional archive.  

It is our vision that through the creation of a National Carnival Archive, archiving and history will be integrated into the living fabric of carnival; that the colour and life of carnival will infuse the movement of archiving cultivating an interest and fascination that will take hold of the young archivists of the future. 

The National Carnival Archive will be fully integrated into every aspect of the UKCCA, providing a two-way resource from which artists, musicians, academics, school pupils, carnival businesses and a variety of other people locally, nationally and internationally can both learn from and simultaneously contribute to. Similarly, the archive will form a fundamental facet in the Carnival Degree Programme as well as underpinning the range of formal and informal training programmes that the UKCCA deliver.

It is proposed that the National Carnival Archive will be developed incrementally in 5 phases over a 10 year period. 

The approach will be very much focused upon developing the infra-structures and leaving archives in the localities from where the material came, ensuring the:

•         Collection

•         Preservation

•         Access

•         Interpretation

of key collections throughout the U.K. through developing new collections and drawing links with existing archives. These diverse carnival collections will be brought together and shared through being accessed and digitally preserved via an integrated ‘on-line’ archive system where they will be brought to life through inter-active virtual and physical interpretation exhibitions.

A national carnival archive begins and ends with your experiences of carnival and we are keen to hear from anyone who would like to share their carnival stories and collections and be part of this landmark project.   

For further information please contact info@carnivalarts.org.uk or call 01582 437100.