Manx National Heritage is pleased to announce the Isle of Man will welcome a pop-up exhibition showcasing the work of the UK based Unpath’d Waters Project, a ground-breaking 3-year research project that aims to connect the UK’s maritime collections and includes the Isle of Man.
The UK and the Isle of Man has a rich maritime heritage, stretching back over 23,000 years. It’s impossible to tell the story of our islands without talking about our relationship with the sea.
Unpath’d Waters aims to increase interaction with maritime heritage by making it easier to research and easier for the public to discover and share stories in new ways.
As part of the project, the Maritime Archaeology Trust’s Exhibition Discovery Bus will visit the House of Manannan from 9 – 11 August in support of the All at Sea exhibition – which commemorates the 200th anniversary of the RNLI through the many stories of shipwrecks around the Island’s coast. On the maritime Discovery Bus visitors can use Virtual Reality headsets, to dive into a fully immersive virtual marine environment around the coast of the British Isles.
These remarkable stories and many others will become globally accessible, with the project ultimately providing millions of research resources and helping the World piece together connected stories, archive materials and heritage assets. Information gathered about the Isle of Man will also be added to the Isle of Man Historic Environment Record.
Visitors are able to explore stories through a series of ‘Curated Voyages’ on a range of themes. The Doggerland Simulator will give access to this submerged prehistoric landscape beneath the North Sea. The simulator allows users to see the development of the landscape over thousands of years and appreciate what it would have been like to live in Doggerland as the sea levels changed around them.
To make submerged and museum-displayed wrecks even more exciting by creating new ways of imagining, understanding and valuing them, the Maritime Archaeology Trust (MAT) has developed the Needles Voyager, an innovative way to digitally explore the fascinating world of shipwrecks and maritime sites that can be found off the western point of the Isle of Wight.
Visitors can also find out about the Unpath’d Waters Portal, a shared and searchable online catalogue of 100,000 marine data records from all parts of the UK including maps, documents and historical resources relating to hundreds of shipwrecks recorded on the Isle of Man Historic Environment Record www.isleofmanher.im.
In addition, the audience will also learn about a new database Historic England is developing to record marine and maritime heritage in England.
ENDS
Editor’s Notes
The Discovery Bus is an inspiring mobile resource facility that enables the Maritime Archaeology Trust to take activities and information all over the British Isles and beyond, visiting schools and colleges, community centres, events, local shows, open days and public spaces, from parks to libraries and supermarket car parks. The Discovery Bus exists thanks to generous funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund through the Engaging New Audiences project. Ferry travel for the visit to the Isle of Man is kindly supported by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.
Discovery Bus tour dates
Time and Tide Museum, Great Yarmouth – 26-27 July
National Museum of the Royal Navy, Hartlepool – 29-30 July
Discovery Point, Dundee – 2-3 August
Scottish Maritime Museum, Irvine Museum – 5-6 August
House of Manannan, Isle of Man – 9-11 August
Static Display dates
Cutty Sark, Greenwich – 27 May-5 June (Doggerland Simulation on display only)
Chatham Historic Dockyard – 10-28 June
Southend Museums – 3-10 July
Time and Tide Museum, Great Yarmouth – 15-28 July
Scottish Maritime Museum, Irvine Museum– 22 July- 9 August
Orkney – 6th August to end of September
Amgueddfa Ceredigion, Aberystwyth – 17-29 June
Tower Museum, Derry – 27-30 June (Navigator on display only)