Fresh Air World
Oral Histories / Breathe Easy Plymouth
Between December 2020 and January 2021, four individuals engaged in oral history interviews with students from the History and Illustration BA (Hons) programmes. As members of the Breathe Easy Support Group (Plymouth), they all suffer respiratory conditions, some of which are debilitating and long-term, and all of which have been exacerbated by the Pandemic. The opportunity to share their memories and stories, and speak about their conditions helps to amplify ‘hidden histories’ and ‘histories at risk’. In addition, contact with these young students generated inter-generational knowledge transfer, while having a critical effect of breaking imposed social isolation for these especially vulnerable individuals in what was a particularly difficult Christmas season for many as a result of lockdown restrictions.
PHASE 1 (December 2020 - January 2021)
Students from HIST522, ILLUS500, HUM002 conducted oral history interviews with members of the Breathe Easy Support Group. Students were provided with special consultation sessions to support them in what were sometimes difficult interviews, given the topics covered.
PHASE 2 – (February – June 2021)
Students from BA Illustration created visual interpretations of the interviews from Phase 1 supported by a series of lectures and tutorials from the illustration tutors and Fresh Air World collaborators
PHASE 3 - (September 2021) - The next stage will be to share the work with the original interviewees.
^^ A collaborative ‘graphic medicine’ comic made using MIRO by BA (hons) Illustration students as part of the Fresh Air World research project.
