Genesis
Genesis was an ongoing project that involves York Museums Trust working with young people aged 16 to 24.
Over the years, groups of young people have come together to explore various themes at the museums such as the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus and the Medieval Mystery Plays to name a few.
Through their work with relevant artists, industry experts and professionals the young people have gone on to produce work such as catwalk fashion pieces, drama, poetry and film documentaries.
These outcomes have been on display to museum visitors, adding to their interest and enjoyment.
Although the Genesis project has closed, York Museums Trust continues to seek ways to successfully engage with this traditionally hard to reach age group in a real and exciting way, involving young people in their cultural heritage and encouraging them to explore it.
Past Projects
Animating Shackleton
Working with experts from Biomation, young people were invited to write, create, film and direct a stop frame animation about Antarctic Explorer Ernest Shackleton’s explorations with inspiration from some of the objects in the York Castle Museum.
The Bedale Hoard Animation Project
A group of young people aged 14-16 created an animated video on the story of the Bedale Hoard at the Yorkshire Museum. The video was created and developed working with York Museums Trust as part of Genesis- an ongoing project working with 16 to 24 year olds to encourage more young people to learn about their cultural heritage and gain new practical skills.
The project was designed to help participants learn and develop skills in all aspects of creating an animation. Working with animation company, Biomation, the group were able to learn about scriptwriting, short listing ideas, character design, set-design and set-building, voiceovers and practical animation.
The Podcast Project
The Podcast Project was a Genesis project aimed at history degree undergraduates from York St John University. The second year students spent ten days researching specific objects on display at both the Castle Museum and the Yorkshire Museum. They wrote and presented individual podcasts which were showcased at an event in May 2014 called Create. The finished videos are below: