Assistance request below from the Royal Armouries Leeds:
Project summary
The Royal Armouries is looking to work with military veterans who have experienced trauma – both physical and mental – as a result of some of the weapons in our collection to co-create a new temporary exhibition about the impact of arms and armour.
To do this, we are wanting to reach out to organisations who support military veterans to help us recruit individuals who have sustained injuries and illnesses (including PTSD) whilst serving in the British Armed Forces. These individuals will then work with us on a new exhibition where they will have the chance to tell their stories and most importantly, shape the way in which these stories are told.
Background information
The Royal Armouries faces the issue that our collection is largely of weapons for causing injury, often to humans, which when not fatal often represented life-changing disability for those who suffered them. Such injuries and their aftermath are a vital component of the story of the objects, but challenge the museum to tell this story in appropriate language, incorporating the lived experience of those who have been impacted by weapons to tell engaging and human stories, and doing so in a way which the public engages with enthusiastically.
We are aware that we are dealing with a highly sensitive and triggering subject matter and of the moral imperative we have to put the mental health needs of the participants at the heart of our approach. We will, therefore, work with outside agencies who have experience assisting individuals with complex needs to provide the necessary support for everyone involved in the project.
For more information, please contact the museum’s Community Engagement Officer, Rob Freeman, on rob.freeman@armouries.org.uk.
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