New website devoted to the lasting impact of the Second World War launches this fall as part of the Their Past Your Future programme led by the Imperial War Museum.
(PRWEB) October 20, 2005 -- An innovative and interactive online exhibition (www.theirpast-yourfuture.org.uk) using materials from the collections of the Imperial War Museum enables users to learn about the impact of the Second World War on the people and landscape of the UK. The exhibition is being launched by the Imperial War Museum this fall to coincide with the 60th anniversaries of the end of the Second World War.
The site, designed by creative agency Rufus Leonard, is part of Their Past Your Future, a £10 million year long programme of commemorative events, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
The first of its kind on this scale to be developed by the museum, the site is an online version of the Their Past Your Future touring exhibition and contains materials, images and documents from the museum's archives, enabling the museum experience to be accessed by visitors worldwide.
Amongst the wide range of materials available on the site are personal stories that use photographs, letters, documents and reminiscences to reveal how wartime experiences change people's lives and how they remember those they lost.
Diaries written by veterans of the conflict and those on the Home Front offer users a fascinating insight into everyday life during wartime; and a regional image gallery containing vivid and emotive images of the era from across the UK gives users a more localised view of the conflict.
Interactive timelines provide information on key dates and events for each of the Home Countries; and specially commissioned films mix archive footage with modern day interviews to focus on the aftermath of the war and ongoing remembrance of these events. The exhibition is also supported by a non-interactive version to allow learners of all ages to use the materials for educational activities.
Informative and accessible, the site uses modern technology to bring the past alive and highlights one of the aims of the Their Past Your Future programme: making museums and learning available to everyone. The website coincides with the touring exhibition of the same name, which is visiting around 70 cities around the UK between February 2005 and February 2006, and aims to explore and highlight the war’s legacy.
Both the online and touring exhibitions offer a range of activities and resources designed to encourage everyone, from children to veterans, to find out more.
As well as being of interest to anyone wishing to better understand how the Second World War changed the UK and it’s landscape, the site is also a valuable educational tool, as material can be downloaded and used to accompany the teaching of history and citizenship, as well as being useful for other curriculum subjects and learning outside of the classroom.
With an estimated reach of three million Their Past Your Future is one of the largest programmes of its kind this year, with nine different touring exhibitions across the UK from 17 February 2005. Around 50 venues across England have been awarded grants by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) to host the exhibition, with further grants awarded by partner organisations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
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