Above the Noise: 15 Stories From Bradford opened on the 14th March with a packed launch event. Voices, laughter and excitement reverberated in the stairs and atrium of the museum. Young woman pulled each other to see the films they were in, the DJ and music lover depicted in the exhibition poster were reunited after…
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How does the national media choose images of Bradford? – By Si Cunningham
In an earlier blog post on the Bradford’s National Museum Project website, we looked at how some Bradfordians are frustrated by the images used by the national press to portray their city. Now, I’d like to put the spotlight on how these images are chosen, and explore how changes to media content production may be…
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From Kraków to Bradford: A story of two Polish journalists – by Chris Hladowski
Bradford-born musician and curator, Chris Hladowski tells the fascinating story of how two members of his family used media to penetrate the infamous ‘Iron Curtain’. Their journalistic work helped to consolidate a sense of Polish identity in exile and the solidarity needed to fight against the Soviet occupation of Poland. Print and radio provide people…
Read MoreAbove the Noise: Films from and about Bradford
In Above the Noise we’ve collaborated with people who live and work in the district to explore how they make and shape Bradford using media technologies. As the exhibiton run has gone on there is one exhibt that we’ve added to. We kicked off the Bradford film exhibit with Peaceophobia! a film by Speaker’s Corner…
Read MoreConfront! Challenge! Change! Calling for activist films
As part of the Above the Noise: 15 Stories From Bradford exhibition we’re calling for films that challenge inequality and are pushing for social and political change. In Above the Noise we’ve collaborated with people who live and work in the district to explore how they make and shape Bradford using media technologies. 15 different…
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Fast FM Radio: Bradford and the Origins of Muslim Community Broadcasting – Seán McLoughlin and Masood Sadiq
In an effort to cut down on pirate radio stations, the 1990 Broadcasting Act allowed short-term “Restricted Service Licences” (RSLs) for the first time. Such licences enabled community groups to broadcast for around one month within a local radius of around three to five kilometres. This new opportunity prompted pioneering broadcasters working on local Asian…
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‘Above the Noise’ Open Late for Open Iftar
Join us to explore the Above the Noise: 15 Stories from Bradford exhibition at the National Science and Media Museum until 7.30pm on 22nd, 23rd and 24th May. We’ve arranged special late evening openings on these days to coincide with the Ramandan Tent Project’s Open Iftar events held in City Park. Why not take the…
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Bradford’s Big Image Problem – Si Cunningham Explores Why Modern Media Imagery is Telling a Tale of Two Cities
A Google image search for the word ‘Bradford’ throws up some predictable results. Predictable, that is, if you’re a Bradfordian. The first few pages almost exclusively feature depictions of City Park, the vast new public space that laps up to the walls of Bradford’s awesome neo-gothic City Hall. This should come as no surprise to…
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Meet the Mediators: The Community Leader
The Community Leader: Ishtiaq Ahmed Ishtiaq Ahmed is a well-respected leader in Bradford who pioneered community development work for the local authority in the 1980s and became a key figurehead for the Bradford Council for Mosques. What is the extent of your work as a community leader in Bradford? I’m part of the Khidmat community…
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Meet the Mediators: The pioneering police officer
The pioneering police officer: Martin Baines Former Community and Race Relations officer Retired Inspector Martin Baines has been at the forefront of community policing since his days as a Manningham beat bobby in the 1980s. Martin was often the first point of contact for national media looking to produce stories about the city’s social challenges.…
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