The Covid-19 Collection

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Mass Observation captured people’s everyday lived experiences. This includes directive responses, personal diaries and 12^th May day-diary submissions. 

With the help of a Wellcome Trust grant a database now provides researchers access to nearly 10,000 documents. This is a wonderful resource for anyone wishing to gain insights into the thoughts, opinions and experiences of people across the UK as the pandemic unfolded, moment by moment.  Find out more about the project.

The Morgan Centre

Mass Observation has worked closely with the Morgan Centre for many years.

Researchers at the centre have collaborated on a wide range of Directives such as Close Relationships (1990), Belonging (2010), Siblings (2012) and Grudging Acts (2022).

Most recently UG students have used narrative responses as a source of secondary data for their dissertations.

Create/Connect

Mass Observation is a project partner on the Create/Connect project.

In the project trans and gender diverse young people will work alongside youth organisations and researchers to explore how community belonging supports young people’s wellbeing.

Beyond Boxes

Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £51,300, Beyond Boxes collaborated with three project partners, Blind Veterans UK, the Brighton Housing Trust and HMP Lewes to encourage project participants to share their lived experience, so that the MOA better reflects the diversity of life in Britain today.

As part of the project a variety of resources were created to encourage writing and literacy. They can be accessed here.

Discourses of Voluntary Action

The Discourses of Voluntary Action project took place in 2017 – 2020 and Mass Observation was one of its partners.  

Funded by the ESRC this project involved the commission of Mass Observation’s Spring 2018 Directive on Charity the Welfare State, and drew upon earlier material from the 1940’s and 2010’s including the Big Society Directive of 2012. In the 1940s Mass Observation were commissioned to undertake research for William Beveridge’s report which formed the basis for post-war reforms.

Richard Slee: Mantlepiece Observations

This was a project led by Bolton Museum in partnership with the Mass Observation Archive and the Museum of the Home, and funded by the Arts Council, England.

The project produced an exhibition of new work by Richard Slee, one of Britain’s most important contemporary ceramic artists, inspired by Mass Observation’s Mantelpiece Reports of 1937.

Works created as part of this project were exhibited at 6 Bolton Museum and Hove Museum alongside a series of family and creative writing workshops Between 2nd – 6 th November 2020 the Little Festival of Mantelpieces was delivered online.

This included an in-conversation with Mathew Watson (Bolton Museum Curator), Professor Claire Langhamer and Dr Rachel Hurdley. In Autumn 2019 a Directive on Mantelpieces and treasured objects was produced.