pic by
Elspie Langdon
How we combine
historical collection and new media?
Our project wants to raise people's interest about Kirkgate Market, and we want to introduce the market to people in a fun way. One great way to achieve this is to use new media and transform historical data into the digitalised data, and this is what we did in our video project.
How do we find data?
Our main data comes from the book in Leeds Central library, local library is a good choice for learning local culture and history, especially for the places like Kirkgate Market, a market with long history and classic characteristic of Leeds. Another source about historical resources is mainly obtained from the following places: social networking sites (reddit and google map) and some official websites (official websites of Leeds, Yorkshire, Kirkgate Market).
1. Leeds Library
In order to obtain more targeted historical materials, the local archive of Leeds Library has become an important place to obtain target historical materials. The main historical data we collected is a paper book called Kirkgate Market An Illustrated History by Steven Burt and Kevin Grady. This book is a kind of narrative data, and it is the main inspiration of our project. We adopted Quark, a scanning software technology, to digitize our data for sustainable documentation. To facilitate text retrieval work, it is good to use scanning software with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology, which can convert scanned image files into editable and searchable text formats.
2. Social media
The data on social media is our important source of information, particularly from Reddit. When you type the keyword "Kirkgate Market" on Reddit, we discovered numerous discussions and personal stories that offer unique insights when exploring the market's social and cultural impact. For example, one notable comment on Reddit pointed out that the difficulty of finding a parking space stop people from visiting the market frequently. In response, we found the picture from Google Maps and some pictures that could represents the outer space around market area to present the shortage of parking space. (picture of parking space and location)
On reddit, personal stories frequently present a different perspective than the official narrative. A user might share their activities in a market and the transformation and progress they have seen in the market. These stories can provide valuable insights into how it affects and is perceived by the community. For example, we saw one comment from Reddit saying that one main reason that stops people from often going to the market is the difficulty of finding a parking space. So we found the picture from google map and some pictures that could represents the outer space around market area to present the shortage of parking space. (picture of parking space and location)
3.Official websites
Obtaining data through the official websites of Leeds, Yorkshire, Kirkgate Market is a very Efficient way, especially when we need officially certified information as well as detailed market overview. This includes a detailed introduction to the history of the market, as well as an overview of the market such as specific location, opening hours, service facilities (such as parking lots, restrooms, etc.), and special services (such as children's activity areas, barrier-free facilities, etc.). It is an important reference for us to compare history with the present. (Official information display)
What we did with the data?
In this project, we integrated new media with historical data from Kirkgate Market, transforming textual content into visual content. Our approach is divided into three main parts:
1. Hand-drawn Illustrations
After reading the historical text, we identified key elements that illustrate the characteristics of Kirkgate Market during specific periods. For example, Burt and Grady (1992) mentioned in the book that in 19th century, Kirkgate market was the place that people can buy pig and cattle. We thought that this is an interesting point that we can start with, so we drew pigs and other products that is usually sold in the market to represent the features of the market. (picture of pig).During this process, we primarily used Procreate as our main method for creating illustrations. It is a digital painting app designed for mobile devices and iPads. This approach allowed us to effectively match the textual content with corresponding illustrations that highlight the market's historical features.
2. On-Site Filming
To integrate historical data with the modern Kirkgate Market, on-site filming is an essential part of our project. For instance, after reviewing literature that highlighted how many shop owners still prefer using handwritten price tags to show the humanized side of the market, we visited the market with our digital camera to capture these details firsthand. On-site filming provides authentic visual information about locations, environments, and people, which helps ensure the accuracy and authenticity of the content. Additionally, it enhances the emotional impact when narrating historical data.
3. Animation
Drawing and online materials alone couldn't support all our content; we needed something more dynamic to bring our content to life. Therefore, we chose to create animations using Adobe After Effects (AE) to add motion and vitality to our presentations and We purchased some animated elements online to visually present the textual content in a more direct and interesting way. For example, the expansion of the market, the occurrence of important historical events, and the changes in the role of the market in society can be dynamically displayed.
4. Video Production
Finally, based on the structure we developed through brainstorming with mind maps, we compiled all the videos, drawings, and animated elements into a cohesive video format. This compilation, which includes clips, both old and new photos, and on-site videos, effectively narrates both the history and the current state of the market.
Enlightenment from the combination
The historical collection helps us perceive the transition and development of the market over the centuries, from the process of learning the materials, we are also learning the history of Leeds, we learned about the lives of working class in the past, we learned about the how immigrants communicate as Kirkgate market used to be an essential communication place for the immigrants, we also learned about how people in Leeds trade and made business in the past. Combining new media with historical collection motivates us to understand the culture of Leeds in an interesting way, the historical material itself is a b it plain, the presentation of new media makes it more visually fun, and attracts people to be interested in it. This visualization method not only makes historical information easier to understand, but also increases interactivity and interest. When we think about how to present historical collection in a new media form, we did not only learn the historical knowledge itself, we also know about the practical skills of new media, this is also thinking about the historical material from a new perspective.
The historical collections are also the inspiration for us to do the critical thinking. If these collections are still text, it is more challenging to imagine the transition and progress only from text. However, after making it visual, it is like seeing the actual development, which is clear and also more humanised. The growth of Kirkgate market represents the changes of the city. On one hand, the market changed because what people needs changed, their habits in lives changed. On the other hand, some things in the market never change, such as the quality of the products such as seafood and meat, the habit traders leave on the price tag, and the passion of the locals for the market. Presentation of these through new media promotes us to discover and observe the specific entry point of changes and traditional features that were kept, and this is helpful to the critical thinking part.
Other methods we can possibly use
During our project, we strategically selected data that was relatively clear and accessible, which can make our process more compact. However, we recognize that there are still numerous valuable data sources that we have not yet explored but could significantly enhance our understanding and presentation of the subject.
1. Traditional Media: British Newspaper Archive
The British Newspaper Archive brings together hundreds of newspaper archives, providing a window into the history and social changes of the British region. This archive contains newspaper reports of major events in Kirkgate Market's history, such as major fires, rebuilding works, policy changes, etc. These reports can provide us with first-handed historical witness and help reconstruct the appearance of the market in different historical periods. Or by studying relevant reports, you can understand the performance and changes of Kirkgate Market in different economic periods, such as the challenges during the Great Depression, or its performance during prosperity. Combining diverse historical materials and content provided by new media platforms is an effective way to show the history and current situation of Kirkgate Market. (British Newspaper Archive interface picture)
2. Special Collection: Handwritten Historical Data
Another feasible way to analyze historical data is using the undecimalized handwritten data from special collection in the university library, because it is written in the old times, it could present a more vivid look of historical data to the viewers. However, the ordinary transcribing software we used cannot recognize most of the historical handwriting, because it is difficult and complicated to read and very different from how people write nowadays, it was not used in the project this time. It would be useful if analysing the data with professional handwriting transcribing software or historical handwriting experts.
