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About
Me
My name's Claire Boardman, I live in Clifton, York and I'm a mature student at the University of York. Before returning to education I worked in technology and data-led business change.
I've always been fascinated with the formation of landscapes / streetscapes - any kinds of 'scapes' really - how people relate to their immediate environment and what influence, if any, knowledge of local heritage has on this. My research looks at these ideas in two of York's inner neighbourhoods: Tang Hall and Clifton.
Photo: Author
Photo: Author
This Project
How we feel about our neighbourhoods has a significant impact on our 'sense of belonging' which in turn influences our actions for example our motivation to take care of ourselves and our families, neighbours and local environments.
We now know that our 'sense of belonging' is intimately linked with our 'sense of place' ... and further, how central local stories and storytelling is to the creation of both a personal and shared sense of place.
Urban populations and especially town/city centres and inner neighbourhoods are increasingly mobile and migratory, while all the time getting bigger and more diverse. Without established local family and friendship networks there is no common ground for the (re)creation and (re)sharing of the neighbourhood stories that 'glue' communities together in shared meaning and values.
This project explores the potential of local civic and community archives and neighbourhood-led digital creativity to both disrupt existing personal and shared sense of place and in the space created by this disruption re-story 'ordinary' neighbourhoods.
Could making the past of a place visible and relevant provide additional points of place connection between neighbours not in the present but in the past of a place? Can we replace or supplement so called 'communal memories' with 'connected memories'?
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