Industrial Folkways’ investigations begin in and around Derby, due to the availability and accessibility of both existing evidence, and previous research; and (informed by the primary and secondary sources), the potential for finding further data of relevance to the project.

In an old town like this, we can reach out and touch the past: it’s all around us, in the homes and business premises of many today, as well as in museums and libraries. But its people are more remote: unlike the buildings, they don’t still stand before us, but instead lie buried beneath our feet – below the paths and pavements on which we tread, both near, and far away. Their bones are just as mute to direct questions as the timber frames of the aged shops and offices dotted about the modern city centre. Yet, together, wood and bone – and bricks, and stones, and many other materials – can, in some ways, speak to us, albeit, in a tongue that requires translation to move towards meaning.

Some in recent (and not so recent) times have come face-to-face with the remains of this underground population – usually when clearing the way for new roads, and other constructions. We have thus met the relics of modern men and women, as well as those of the Roman, Saxon and Middle Ages, in and around the town. While we cannot expect many straightforward, unequivocal, answers from their remains (though we have been gifted with some), we can still glean much from their graves, and the contents. These residues can not only tell us about the environments and experiences of their times, but also whisper something of what people thought of themselves and others; the world around them; and (a) coexistent, generally unseen, supernatural beings and realms.

The same can be said of their dwellings, places of employment, and other structures. Before falling into their final sleep, many past people – unable to find what they needed from their own sphere – opened up lines of communication with (an) Otherworld(s). From the occasional reported find in the area, and studies of other locations, we know that traces of their missives are likely to have survived into the present day – as yet unnoticed, ignored or undisclosed – bearing witness to their secret selves.

To gain access to these treasures (for what is more precious than time – especially that already lost), we must look through different lenses to those that we use in passing through the present. In exploring familiar, yet unfamiliar, worlds, many, at first, might require a guide. But, once eyes have been opened to the surrounding hidden histories, it becomes easier to find narrow pathways to the past. In in turn, we widen the way for others, potentially making meaningful connections with others as they go.

The time trekker might chart various routes for future tourists to follow – marking out a tracks with bare facts (as technical reports); turning trails into tales, by shaping discoveries into factual narratives (as creative non-fiction); or even weaving the way into journeys of the imagination, integrating fact and fiction (as historically-informed / historical fiction).

The same can be said of visually communicating findings through illustrations, in the form of technical drawings; reconstructions of sites, features and artefacts; and within art- and craft-works inspired by local finds. IF intends to make use of all of these forms of dissemination, preceding or following fictional accounts with brief commentaries clarifying factual content, and / or sign-posting factual material.

A narrative (that includes content that might be used for self-guided tours); and crafts (with directions for how to make at home); relating to Otherworldly Derby are currently in progress (with more likely to follow), and will be shared online this year.

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