Absolute Units
The Museum of English Rural Life podcast. We're exploring the fascinating, surprising, and moving backstories of our collections, to tell the story of the English countryside.
Episodes
17 episodes
Halloween Special: Death, Rebirth, and Scooby Doo (with Mark Norman)
Pumpkins, carved. Candles, lit. Units, absolute. Welcome to a special Halloween bonus podcast by The Museum of English Rural Afterlife.This time, ghosts Ollie and Joe welcome fiend-of-the-show Mark Norman (author, host of the Folklore Po...
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51:47
Queer Rural Lives: Love Letters and Farm Papers (with Tim Jerrome)
In our last episode, Tim Jerrome (now, University of Brighton; previously, The MERL) shared with Joe and Ollie how he's using The MERL archives to research queer lives and same-sex relationships in England's rural past.Today, Tim shares ...
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37:56
Queer Rural Lives: Searching the Archives (with Tim Jerrome)
Queer histories of England have predominantly focused on the country's urban centres and cities - especially London. Yet queer and same-sex relationships have always existed throughout English life. Rural England is no exception.In the f...
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39:01
Rural Riots, Raves, and Robin Hood (with Katrina Navickas)
Throughout modern English history, people have protested against the movements to enclose and limit access to green spaces.Their reasons have varied dramatically – from deadly agricultural protests like the Swing Riots, to 90s raves, and...
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44:57
A Radical History of the Commons (with Katrina Navickas)
"The law locks up the man or woman who steals the goose from off the common / But leaves the greater villain loose: who steals the common from the goose."In this episode, Joe and Ollie speak with Professor Katrina Navickas (University of...
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41:09
Flying Your Drone Through a Michelin-Starred Polytunnel (with Amy Bateman)
Modern farming is full of digital technology. Nobody knows this better than Amy Bateman, a prize-winning photographer and sheep farmer who uses digital tech in both lines of work (even using the same kit to take photos and to run the farm)....
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40:42
Forty Farms (with Amy Bateman)
In 2020, award-winning photographer and sheep farmer Amy Bateman set out to document the stories of forty farms in Cumbria. From Lake District hill farms, to the Solway marshes. Amy's photographs present a captivating picture (liter...
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34:58
The Rural Art of Dog Poo Posters (with Man in the Woods)
Man in the Woods makes art about parts of rural England that you wouldn’t normally think about – and definitely wouldn’t find in Wordsworth. From hastily-printed dog poo posters, to portraits of ma...
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42:03
We Were All Rural Once (with Man in the Woods)
Seven years ago on a Friday, artist Scott (best-known on social media as Man in the Woods) set off for a walk to no particular destination. The next Friday, he started a new walk where the previous week's ended. He's been doing that every Frida...
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42:20
The Meaning of Pigs (with Dolly Jørgensen)
Content warning: This episode contains references to animal slaughter, antisemitism, and injury to children. Listener discretion is advised.Joe and Ollie continue their deep-dive into the history of pigs with Professor Dolly Jørge...
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38:03
The Medieval Pig (with Dolly Jørgensen)
Content warning: This episode contains references to animal slaughter and blood. Listener discretion is advised.In medieval England, all roads led to pigs. They lived side-by-side with humans, and were a common sight in daily life...
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42:45
Schedule Update: Big Sheep, Big Dreams
Episode 4 marked the end of our pilot series, produced by a group of extremely talented students from the University of Reading. Now, we're at the wheel planning future episodes. The tractor wheel of our mind and our dreams.In the meanti...
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21:19
The Pest is History (with Alice Mauchline)
How has our understanding of ecology in farming changed in time? What makes a pest a pest? And is an aphid chimney as metal as it sounds?Join Dr Alice Mauchline (University of Reading) to learn about changes in modern farm management. We...
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45:32
I Just Want a Cup of Tea in Reading (with Shweta Ghosh)
What do documentary makers and museum have in common? How do we choose which stories to tell, and how to tell them? Join Dr Shweta Ghosh, Lecturer in Screen Practices and Industries at the University of Reading, as we discuss storyt...
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48:24
Wanting My Hog to Look Spectacular (with Dr Hannah Lyons)
Why did people in the past make paintings of impossibly big animals? What does art teach us about the history of the countryside? And how do we work with artists today to explore the past, present and future of rural England?Here to unpa...
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46:12