On Sunday 17th October the people of Merthyr are being invited to share their memories of watching on television some of the historic events that took place between 1950 and 2000.
These memories will provide the basis for ‘Media and Memory in Wales 1950 – 2000’, a major new study into the influence of television on family life in Wales during the second half of the 20th century, “the age of television”.
Over the coming months Dr Iwan Morus and Dr Jamie Medhurst from Aberystwyth University will also be interviewing people in Wrexham, Caernarfon, and Carmarthen about their memories of watching these historic events and how they reflect their sense of belonging and identity.
They will be in Merthyr as part of the BBC Cymru Wales Roadshow at the Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Centre from 10.00 am to 4.30 pm. on Sunday 17th October.
The historical events covered by the study are:
The Coronation of Elizabeth II (1953), the drowning of the Tryweryn valley (1950s), the Aberfan disaster (1966), the investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales (1969), the Golden Age of Welsh Rugby (1970s), the First Referendum on Devolution (1979), the Launch of a Welsh Language Television Channel (1982), the Miners’ Strike (1984-5) / Pit Closures, and the Second Referendum on Devolution (1997).
Working with project partners Culturenet Cymru and the BBC, the interviews will form a bilingual online digital archive to which members of the public will be able to add their own memories in the form of images, audio or video.
Dr Iwan Morus said: “It is a truism that family life during the second half of the twentieth century revolved increasingly around the television set which formed a prominent feature – often the primary focus – of the living room. Our aim is to collect and archive people’s memories relating to the age of television in Wales, from seeing television for the first time to watching these major TV events.”
“By focussing on four distinct and distinctive geographical and linguistic communities our aim is to bring together a spectrum of memories that represent a national collective memory of television in Wales.”
“The Welsh context is particularly pertinent to the project and adds significantly to its potential value since, for a variety of political and linguistic reasons, the history of television in Wales has been particularly conflicted.”
“For much of the fifty years in question, television formed a key battleground in struggles for linguistic and national identity. The archive resulting from this project will provide a significant resource for understanding the politics of television.”
‘Media and Memory in Wales, 1950 – 2000’ is funded by an award of £93,000 by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC).
The website is expected to be launched in the spring of 2011. The content will also be accessible via The People’s Collection www.peoplescollectionwales.com.
