Irish in Britain Memory Box Project

Context 

Irish in Britain is a National charity that provides support and representation for Irish communities and organisations across Britain. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, they launched an ambitious 50th Anniversary project to capture the history of various community groups - the project collected 100 oral histories from a wide range of people across Britain - recording memories of early life in Ireland, along with experiences of migration and settlement in cities like Liverpool, Birmingham and London.

These oral histories are the basis for a national travelling exhibition, and are also part of an ongoing online exhibition. The oral histories will join our Special Collections, to help preserve and enable access for future researchers.
  

Reminiscence and Memory

Storytelling and reminiscence work are proven to benefit older members of society. In particular, by reducing feelings of depression, improving communication skills, reducing stress, and enhancing personal value and confidence.

Following the successful travelling exhibition in which the oral histories could be accessed using conventional methods, the Special Collections team and Irish in Britain now want to commission an interactive Memory Box, housing selected oral histories from the 50th Anniversary Heritage Project.

This Memory Box will travel the country to support reminiscence activity in Irish community centres and elder networks across Britain.

  

Memory Box - How it Works

The Special Collections team selected a range of oral history recordings from the heritage project. Inside the memory box will be nine objects, that each represent a specific recording and related theme e.g. Food and Drink. 

Through the integration of proximity sensors and coding, each object will be designed to act as a ‘switch’ to trigger the playback of an oral history recording, through a speaker in the Memory Box.

  

The Brief

Inspired by material in The Archive of the Irish in Britain, and the recordings themselves, students from our BA Product and Furniture Design course were invited to develop conceptual models for three of the nine objects, and to create a scaled box or carrier. They were then asked to pitch their design proposal to project partners during late March 2025.

Up to one project will be selected for further development, and the successful designers will be awarded a funded budget to assist with the making, and work with colleagues in the School of Computing and Digital Media.

The winning Memory Box will then be used in community groups across Britain.

  

The Brief - Mandatory Requirements

- The proposed objects must be inspired by the materials and the selected recordings in the archive of the Irish in Britain at London Metropolitan University.

- The objects must relate to the key themes in each recording.

- Each object must be unique - achieved through form, colour, pattern.

- The Memory Box will house all objects and should be robust and easy to carry / transport.

- Students must have a sense of how their proposal would be made - materials, processes, etc.

- Object Size - approximately 50mm x 50mm x 50mm Maximum.

- Memory Box Size - approximately 400L x 300W x 150D mm Maximum

Winning Design

The final Memory Box design was selected by a panel of academics in the School of Art, Architecture and Design, and a representative from our community partner, Irish in Britain.

The successful students were Alex and Eddie who used 3D printing to create prototype objects that would connect with a digital sensor inside the box or carrier. 

‘I am a Product and Furniture Design student with a passion for creating objects that carry meaning beyond function. Design, for me, is about memory, connection, and storytelling. The Memory Box project was an opportunity to explore how objects can preserve personal and collective histories, bridging the past with the present. Being selected for the Special Collections is an honour, as it highlights how design can give form to untold stories and celebrate the cultural ties between Ireland and Britain’ - Alex 

For the technical element, the design team collaborated with the School of Computing and Digital Media, who used RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) technology to enable the playback of oral history recordings via interactive stickers placed on the base of each object.

Next Steps

The next stage of this project will focus on developing a series of community workshops in collaboration with Irish in Britain and a network of Irish centres across London and the surrounding areas. These workshops will serve as a testing ground for the Memory Box, exploring its potential to spark reminiscence, foster intergenerational dialogue, and promote emotional wellbeing among Irish Elders.

By creating safe and welcoming spaces for storytelling, reflection, and shared memory, the initiative aims to deepen connections within the community while gathering valuable insights into how archival materials and sensory prompts can support mental health and cultural identity.