Summary
Manchester Art Gallery (MAG) cares for the people connected with the Manchester Together Archive (MTA), formed after the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.
Background
On 22 May 2017 people were leaving an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester Arena when a homemade bomb was detonated in the foyer. Twenty-three people including the bomber were killed, and hundreds were injured.
Within hours of the attack, people began to leave flowers, candles, soft toys, balloons, written notes and other items in spontaneous memorials in St Ann’s Square and other locations around the city. In June 2017, Manchester City Council tasked Manchester Art Gallery to oversee the removal and consider the future of the spontaneous memorial items.
Challenge
The team did not have previous experience of collecting spontaneous memorials. Although others in the UK and abroad had done this, there were no standardised practices. They had to consider immediate issues including whether to collect, what and how much, practical concerns including short-term storage and conservation needs, and who would make decisions. The team were aware of medium and longer-term challenges from the start, including the needs and interests of the main stakeholders, and how a collection could be managed.
Approach
Initially the team aimed to collect a representative sample of items to send for freeze drying and conservation. However, it became clear that the team did not have collecting criteria for what was ‘representative’. Every item felt important, from elaborate letters to a coffee receipt annotated ‘#westandtogether’, from a single guitar to the dozens of pebbles painted with Manchester bees. The team decided to keep most of the non-organic items, which subsequently formed the basis of what was later called the Manchester Together Archive.
Initially a small group of MAG staff made collecting decisions with the help of external partners. Over time an Advisory Group was convened, involving MAG staff, plus staff from Manchester’s Archives+ service and from the University of Manchester. A dedicated Archivist was also appointed. The Advisory Group consulted with bereaved people, survivors and the broader public by organising visits to the collection, and running an online survey.
The conservation needs of the items largely defined the formation of the Manchester Together Archive. The team urgently needed to slow the deterioration of items after their removal from mostly outdoor sites. Sending them to Harwell Restoration enabled them to slow down the decision-making process and to plan for next steps, including refurbishing space at MAG.
Intended aims
MAG responded to the perceived urgent need to decide the future of the spontaneous memorials after their removal from public spaces. The idea of an archive, and its documentation, access and use, emerged as one problem was tackled at a time: no long-term plan was devised at the outset.
The questions ‘why and what to collect’, ‘who is it for’ and ‘what is it for’ emerged quickly in the discussions about the collection. They are in many ways still present now. Early on, a ‘family-first’ approach was proposed and adopted. This principle guided later decisions. For example, the space at MAG was refurbished as storage but also as somewhere to host and welcome small numbers of visitors privately. It included a sofa, armchairs and coffee table.
While the collection was at Harwell the team had more time to discuss its meaning, value and importance. They came to see the items as a single memorial: perhaps this retrospectively justified keeping most of the non-organic items deposited at the spontaneous memorial sites. An interest in researching the formation and purpose of the spontaneous memorials, and acknowledging that those items were material evidence of a collective and public response to the attack, led to development of plans to catalogue the collection. External funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and, subsequently, from The National Archives, was secured towards that goal.
Obstacles and Issues
The main obstacles and issues have been:
- Lack of previous experience in collecting and documenting spontaneous memorials.
- Material which was not covered by MAG’s collecting policy.
- Need to secure external funding for collections management.
- The (perceived) need to act urgently.
- Conservation and storage needs of the material.
- Importance of safeguarding staff and volunteer wellbeing. This was clear from the start and has become more prominent as the work with the MTA intensified and broadened. Early on staff accessed support from the Greater Manchester Resilience Hub set up following the attack. Later context-specific support was developed for the Archivist and the volunteers involved in cataloguing the collection.
Although the archive has been stored at MAG and is being catalogued, it sits outside the core collection. Questions about its longer-term storage, access and use are still being determined. A number of options are being considered including storing the collection off-site, limiting physical access to the time around anniversaries, and making it accessible digitally.
Actual outcomes and outputs
So far, the key outcomes of the project have been:
- Developing a distinct collection of 10,000+ items, and articulating its value, significance and purpose for a variety of stakeholders. These include bereaved families, survivors, researchers, broader public, and heritage professionals.
- Working towards making a dynamic collection continuously shaped by an evolving understanding of its value, aims and uses. A Collection Development Policy and Plan (2024-2027) have been developed, and the collection is being catalogued.
- Developing a better understanding of MAG’s own role, expectations and limitations, and its trauma-informed practice. As part of this work the team produced a guide to Providing emotional support for archive volunteers (PDF, 0.5MB).
- Undertaking research including a collaborative PhD, presenting at conference and publishing jointly.
Lessons Learned
Although there was a perceived urgency in the early days, any collecting decisions translated to a long-term piece of work and commitment. The team learned that preparing a longer-term but flexible plan early on, including key milestones, helped develop appropriate policies, practices and support structures for the people involved.
They decided to send most of the non-organic material to Harwell Restoration immediately. This influenced later thinking about the value and significance of the spontaneous memorial items, but did not completely define the longer-term outcomes.
Working in close collaboration with key partners including Archives+ and the University of Manchester, and drawing on support from professionals around the world facing similar challenges, helped enormously in navigating the uncharted territory of collecting and documenting the memorials.
Next Steps
The immediate priority is to complete cataloguing, which is key to providing sustainable and broader access to the collection. As a partnership the team would like to develop a better understanding of the longer-term significance and impact of spontaneous memorials, particularly on people who have been directly affected by the event.
Further Information
Publications and other information are available to read on the MTA website.