@massobsarchive
An archive of everyday life, thought and feeling in the UK. Based at The Keep in East Sussex. Find out more at massobs.org.uk Find out more: massobs.org.uk Queer Everyday Project: massobs.org.uk/queer-everyday/
An advert for bananas? A man is photographed peeling, or as the advert states 'unzipping' a banana. The advert extolls the virtues of bananas as a snack accompanied by the tagline 'the foodiest fruit of all'
The banana, the foodiest fruit of all! Unzipp one today!
Whilst the AM platform is a paid for resource (do check with your local library to see if they have access) don't forget that all of our Covid-19 collection is publically available to view and download here: database.massobs.org.uk/projects_dat...
A screenshot of the mass observation project online resource
Something new has appeared on our AM Digital resource 🧐Instead of stopping at 2009, documents are now available up to 2019! 98 boxes of material went away to be digitised and are now available through the AM digital resource.
Thanks to @massobsarchive.bsky.social for hosting our University of Brighton students yesterday for LGBTQ History Month!
We heard abt their growing archive of everyday queer life in the UK, and saw loads of incredible historical materials 🏳️🌈
Thanks also to @ctsgbrighton.bsky.social for organising!
The MO team never goes anywhere without our health vests; they're recommended by medical professionals after all!
A muscular man in y-front trousers and a vest propels himself gleefully into the air as part of a 1950s illustrated advery for y-fronts.
Assuming we're all bringing this same energy to our Monday mornings?
A fantastic post from the Museum fo English Rural Life about one of our early writers. We're so pleased to see E.M. Barraud getting this recognition! Do give the article a read!
A huge thank you to everyone who has already sent us their diary of what they got up to on the 12th February for #LGBTplusHM #lgbthm26! If you haven't sent us your diary and would like to, remember there's no deadline to send it to us! Just submit it online or pop it in the post whenever you can 😊
You can send us your diaries in the post (for free, don't buy a stamp!). Send them to us via this address:
Freepost RTGY-AYJE-YSSC
The Mass Observation Archive
The Keep
Woolards Way
Brighton
BN1 9BP
Or via our anonymous online form: universityofsussex.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Today is the day! Record your day and be part of recording queer lives and histories in the UK. Sketch, type, write, or photograph your day. Even if you think your day isn't very interesting we'd still love to have it in our collection! All types of days, boring or brilliant are welcome #LGBTplusHM
Thanks so much for flagging this! Mary is right, the link should be massobs.org.uk/queer-everyd...!
Ultimately we hope that the project will not only carry on the work of NLGS in collecting the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community, but we also hope it will provide the chance for everyday stories, hopes, thoughts and feelings to be part of the archive. More info > massobs.org.uk/queer-everyd... (4/4)
The second way you can get involved is by responding to our directive questions! These are inspired by questions asked by the National Lesbian and Gay survey in the 1990s and 2000s. Again, there's no set way to respond to these and you only have to respond to whatever you're interested in 🧵 (3/4)
You can write, type, email, collage or photograph your day! All diaries will be anonymised and can be posted to us for free via Freepost RTGY-AYJE-YSSC, The Mass Observation Archive, The Keep, Woolards Way, Brighton BN1 9BP or online : universityofsussex.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... 🧵 (2/4)
We're looking to capture experiences of what it means to be queer in the UK today! To do that we're collecting day diaries for 12th February. It doesn't matter what you get up to, or how you record it, we'd love to have it!🧵 (1/4) #LGBTplusHM #lgbthm26
Bolton: The Happiest Town on Earth? In the 1930s MO asked he people of Bolton "What is happiness to you and yours?". In this episode researchers knock on the doors of those who live in the same spot as the original correspondents, hearing their reflections on happiness
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
Typed questions about the use of public libraries. Next to the text is a clip art image of a blue-ish human-like creature using a computer.
And 'The Public Library - 1999'...
Text asking questions about your relationship to the NHS and medical professionals. There is a clip art image of a faceless doctor holding what could be a stethoscope on the back of an also faceless patient
But also here in 'YOU AND THE NHS - 1997'
Typed text asking questions about gardening next to a clip art image of pink and green flowers
For those interested, 1997 onwards also saw the introduction of some stunning use of clip art in our directive letters, as demonstrated in the gardening directive
A film photograph of a very plastic deckchair facing outwards a very neatly mown lawn surrounded by flower beds
We're thinking about a set up like this and a calippo ice lolly on blue monday...
(Image from our the garden and gardening directive, 1998)
a scan of a brown envelope. Drawn in red pen is a little smiley face with a speech bubble saying 'Keep up the good work'
We received these words of encouragement, on the back of an envelope, from one of our writers today! They might have meant it for the postal service, but we like to think it was for us 😏
And! If you're near The Keep next month you can join us for our LGBTQ+ history month event looking at queer scrapbooks and their role in archives! Come along to see our collections, including NLGS material, and have a go at doing some scrapbooking yourself: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1972540179...
The questions, along with lots more information about how to submit your writing and diaries to us can be found on our website: There's loads more information on our website: massobs.org.uk/queer-everyd...
As well as day diaries, we’re also reissuing questions asked by NLGS in the 1980s and 1990s to see how everyday life has, and has not, changed. The questions are inspired by those asked by the team at NLGS.
This year we’re doing an open call for ordinary day diaries from the LGBTQIA+ community, and specifically we’re asking people to record their day on the 12th February. Whatever you get up to, we’d love to have it in our collection!
A scan of a yellow flyer advertising the National Lesbian and Gay Survey. It has a collage of different photographs of people and in the middle it reads 'so who will write the lesbian and gay history of the nineties..?' the bottom of the flyer has further information about how to take part.
In 1982, inspired by the work of MO the National Lesbian and Gay survey began, it sought to capture what everyday life was like for queer people living in the UK. For our latest open call we're continuing the work of NLGS and asking what does it mean to be queer every day?
#lgbtqhistory
Did you know we have a newsletter where you can keep up to date with all the latest MO news? We also share summaries and trends we've seen in the latest directive responses, as well as our latest events and opportunities! You can sign up here: subscribe.emailblaster.cloud/MjEyMjQ/122....
These all sound really interesting! We were having a discussion the other day about how whilst of our topics touch on wellness and wellbeing we've never explicitly asked about it. Maybe it's one to add to the list!
Ooh great choices! We loved the hands directive, we got some amazing responses to that. We do love when a researcher comes to us with a topic like that, especially if it's something we haven't even thought of before!
Amazing! Have you had a favourite directive out of all the topics you've done so far? We always wonder which people enjoy and why!