Over the years, people have told us some fascinating stories about encounters they’ve had with music artists in Doncaster. We aimed to capture and preserve some of these through our project, Doncaster Sound Memories.
The stories (oral histories) were collected and shared via broadcasts on Sine FM, and online. We also created a (now popular) large-scale public exhibition of the stories on the corner of our building on Nether Hall Road. This initial project, running through 2022, was funded through, Heritage Lottery Fund.
Following this, the exhibition element of the project has continued to grow and develop as further permanent public exhibitions have been installed throughout Doncaster City Centre.
Doncaster Sound Memories On Tour expanded the public exhibition of the project using vacant space in Doncaster city centre. This exhibition on Hall Gate, Doncaster, started in July 2023, and was commissioned by Doncaster Council’s Culture team.
In early 2024, we were commissioned by Doncaster Council’s Major Projects team to create the most ambitious phase of the Doncaster Sound Memories public exhibitions to-date. The new exhibition, which also includes bespoke designed lighting, has totally transformed the underpass and alleyway linking Hall Gate to Wood Street. This previously run-down area, historically associated with anti-social behaviour is now Doncaster’s largest public cultural exhibition and a celebration of local people’s music stories.
We have worked closely with Doncaster photographer Jamie Bubb in creating these exhibitions.
