Talking about Prisons is a research project funded by the British Academy and is a collaboration between Robert Gordon University and Peterhead Prison Museum. Prison museums offer visitors the opportunity to learn about and engage with historic and contemporary issues of crime and punishment. They also deal with issues that we would consider to be ‘difficult heritage’ – past stories or events that some may consider to be problematic or challenging to talk about or understand. This project aims to explore how people make sense of difficult heritage by studying how visitors examine and experience different types of exhibits at Peterhead Prison Museum.
Meet The Team
Dr Rachael Ironside (left) is an Associate Professor at Robert Gordon University and Principal Investigator on the project, Alex Geddes (centre) is the Operations Manager at Peterhead Prison Museum, Dr Alona Roitershtein (right) is a researcher at Robert Gordon University and Research Assistant on the project.
Why is this study important?
The findings from this study will help us to further understand how people make sense of difficult heritage. This will expand academic knowledge, help inform heritage sites about visitor engagement with exhibits, and be used to help improve the visitor experience.
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Ask us questions!
If you plan to visit the museum on one of the days we are collecting data for this study please do come and speak to us - we are very happy to talk to you about the study and answer any questions! |
How can you take part in the research?
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To complete this study, Rachael and Alona will be collecting video footage to help analyse how people interact with each other, objects and the exhibit space in the museum. This means that if you visit on one the days that filming is taking place you may be filmed and included in the study.
Below you can find out more information about how we will be filming, how your data will be used and the ways that you can opt out if you would prefer not to take part in this research. |
Filming will be taking place on:
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How will we be filming in the exhibits?
We will be using GoPro video cameras to capture footage of visitor interaction at Peterhead Prison Museum. This allows us to capture visual and audio footage without being too intrusive through the use of traditional film cameras. Filming will take place in one exhibit at any time and cameras will be positioned at the front and back of the exhibit. These cameras are linked to our phones to enable us to switch off the camera at any time if you would prefer not to be filmed during your visit.
Where will filming take place?
We will be filming in four exhibit locations. The Cat-O-Nine-Tails exhibit (13 on audio guide), the Arts and Crafts Room, the isolated prisoner cell (21 on audio guide) and the murder cell (7 on the audio guide). We will also be filming in the museum shop. Filming will only take place in one exhibit at a time and you will be made aware of which exhibit if you visit the museum on a day that filming is taking place.
How will my data be used?
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All footage collected during the study will be analysed to help inform the aim of the research. This will include selecting portions of the video footage (including visual and audio) to use as data for the project.
Once the data has been selected, stills, video footage and audio recording will be used to publish the findings of this project. This will include research articles, publications and conferences. It will also be used to develop a report to share with Peterhead Prison Museum and other prison and heritage sites, and may be used for teaching purposes. The cameras will be filming continuously in one exhibit during your visit. To ensure we do not disturb your visit, we will operate an opt-out policy for this study. Unless you tell us otherwise, we would like to thank you for your help with our project and assume that you will be happy for video footage and stills to be used for the following purposes:
We will not include any footage in the data set of people under the age of 18 or if you tell us that you do not want to be included in the data set. |
I don't want my data to be used - what do I do?If you do not want to be included in the video footage used to select data for this study, please speak to Rachael or Alona who will be located outside the exhibit where filming is taking place. They will ensure that the camera is turned off for the period of your visit. You are also free to withdraw your data from this study at any time by emailing the contact details below. |
Project Media Engagement
Press
Radio
- BBC News Scotland - 'Dark tourism' reactions at Peterhead Prison Museum researched - BBC News
- The Herald - Prison museum experiences to be analysed under new research project | The Herald (heraldscotland.com)
- Museums + Heritage - Research project explores public interaction with 'difficult heritage' - Museums + Heritage (museumsandheritage.com)
- Yahoo via PA - 'Difficult heritage' study to analyse visitor reactions at Peterhead Prison (yahoo.com)
- Aberdeen Live - 'Difficult heritage' study to analyse visitor reactions at Peterhead Prison - Aberdeen Live
- Ireland Live - ‘Difficult heritage’ study to analyse visitor reactions at former prison - Ireland Live (ireland-live.ie)
- Aberdeen Business News - Prison reactions to be analysed under new research project - Aberdeen Business N
- Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce Bulletin (31st August 2024)
Radio
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BBC Good Morning Scotland (1st August 2024)
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Television
- That's TV - Freeview Channel 8 and Online (2nd August)
- BBC 1 Reporting Scotland (9th August 2024)
Contact Us
If you would like to get in touch about this project, please contact us using the details below.
Dr Rachael Ironside
[email protected]
Dr Rachael Ironside
[email protected]
Find out more about...
Peterhead Prison Museum |
Our funder |
Robert Gordon University |
