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For immediate release

Monday 1 December 2008

 

FOREST OF FAMILY TREES SPROUTS IN DEVON

Christmas shoppers in Devon are in for a treat this December as Devon County Council hosts a 'Forest of Family Trees'. The event, a Christmas exhibition and workshop, has been designed by award-winning Northumberland-based conceptual poet and artist Ira Lightman.

 

This national project, which began in Northumberland, is touring the UK over the next two years, making its first stop at the Devon Record Office as part of the Archive Awareness Campaign. The display features an exhibition of over 200 family trees printed onto T-shirts using state of the art software along with one giant 12 foot, six-generation shirt, on a ten-foot coat hanger.

 

To celebrate this exhibition, a workshop will allow visitors to make their own Family Tree Christmas Card using the state-of the art software.  Each branch can hold the name of a relative and memories about their life can be added in the form of apples and leaves. Other activities on offer on the day include the chance to make Christmas decorations using images from archives as inspiration.

 

Throughout the Autumn and Winter, as part of the Archive Awareness Campaign www.archiveawareness.com, archives across the country are hosting special events to celebrate the fantastic wealth of their collections and to highlight the importance of archives as guardians of history.

 

Katherine Weston, Heritage Outreach Officer, Devon County Council said:

 

"We hope this exhibition will encourage people to come and showcase their family tree to the local community and to find out more about their local heritage.  We want to inspire all ages to think about researching in the future, it doesn't matter if they only know a few names for this workshop - they will look lovely as a Christmas Tree. Perhaps it will inspire them to find out more!"

 

 

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For further details, spokespeople or images on Archive Awareness Campaign, please contact Angela Owusu on 0208 392 5237 or email [log in to unmask]

 

Notes to Editors

The exhibition will run until Friday 19 December 2008.

 

·         Ira Lightman [log in to unmask], www.iralightman.com has had several appearances on BBC Radio 3's popular show The Verb, he creates permanent public art works and has written a book entitled Duetcetera, published by Exeter's own national poetry publisher, Shearsman Books.

 

·         Ira performs live and was interviewed on The Verb, Nov 28th, 9.30pm, Radio 3.

 

·         See Ira Lightman's 'Forest of Family Trees' (Tree Shirt Exhibition now on tour around the UK), which features over 200 T-shirts and a giant 12ft T-shirt on a 10ft coat hanger- each one featuring a unique family tree.

 

·         On Saturday 13 December, members of the public are invited to drop in to the Devon Record Office to make their family trees into a Christmas Family Tree card. The event is suitable for all ages. The free drop in workshop will run from 10am - 4pm. Other Christmas craft activities, including making Christmas decorations, will also be on offer using the historical records kept at the Devon Record Office as inspiration.

 

·         This event is an opportunity to make your family tree into a Christmas card or Christmas decoration; unfortunately there will not be the facilities available to research your tree on this date. However you can save your tree and go back to it later after you have researched.  200 Family trees made as "tree shirts", and one giant six-generation shirt 2.4m wide x3 m tall on a 10-foot coat hanger will be on display.

 

·         The exhibition will run until Friday 19 December 2008.

 

·         Archive Awareness is spearheaded by the National Council on Archives (www.ncaonline.org.uk) and funded by The National Archives (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (www.mla.gov.uk).

 

·         Archive Awareness Campaign was originally designed to address the issues of under representation of UK archives, especially in comparison with the museum, gallery and library sectors. The campaign began with 'Archive Awareness Month' in September 2003 and since then has taken place over a longer period in the autumn. Visit www.archiveawareness.com for more details.