WIREDGOV

We recently led a stop motion animation workshop for families. We collaborated with Aardman Academy, the in-house training department of Aardman Animations, home to Wallace and Gromit.

Zoe Hutber brought along a Molly the chicken figure from Aardman Studios to inspire participants. Rosie Morris

This February we invited families to The National Archives to work with an Aardman Academy animator for the day and create their own films inspired by our collection. BAFTA-nominated writer, director and stop motion animator Zoe Hutber co-delivered the workshop with staff at The National Archives. Zoe even brought along a famous guest, headstrong Molly the chicken, star of Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.

This project was led by our Education and Outreach, and Research, Grants and Academic Engagement teams. It aimed to explore new approaches to engaging young people aged 11 to 15. The research sought to identify how archives might be experienced in more creative, relevant and engaging ways. The event built on our existing young people’s animation programme to examine the value of collaborating with high-profile partners. Our goals were to broaden public awareness, increase engagement and enhance understanding.

Education programmes at The National Archives

The National Archives has a thriving young people’s programme. Every summer, students aged 16 to 19 take part in week of creative workshops focused on a particular theme from our records. Past projects have included creative writing, poetry and illustrating a graphic novel. Our most popular programme has been our annual filmmaking week for students aged 16 and over with professional film-maker Nigel Kellaway. While our successful family programme, The Time Travel Club, is geared towards children up to the age of 11. Currently we do not cater to children aged between 11 and 15.  So, we decided to explore a programme for this age group.

Creating a collaboration with Aardman Academy

To begin, we first had to see if Aardman Academy were interested. One of our colleagues had worked with Aardman Academy on English Heritage’s Animated Histories summer tour and film festival. We set up an informative conversation with English Heritage and Aardman Academy, who supported the idea.

Next, we planned a pilot family event that would use stories from our collection to inspire a new generation of animators and researchers. We now just needed the funding to make it happen.

Funding

We applied to the National Archive’s internal Strategic Research Fund to make the pilot project a reality. We pitched for small project funding (£1,000), supplemented by match-funding from the Education and Outreach Department. Our aim was to investigate whether creative digital storytelling could offer new ways of engaging young people aged 11-15 with archival collections.

We aimed to focus on two key questions:

1. Could stop motion animation act as an effective interpretive tool, enabling young people to engage with archival records through creativity, storytelling and personal expression?
2. Could collaboration with a high-profile cultural partner broaden the reach of archival engagement and attract audiences who might not otherwise engage with our collections?

Underpinning the project was the assumption that some young people see archives as unconnected to their lives. By inviting participants to reinterpret records through animation, we aimed to test whether creative practice could challenge these perceptions.

The pilot also offered the opportunity to establish an evidence base for future work. If successful, it could provide a model for further investment, larger-scale partnerships and new approaches to youth engagement.

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