Today we worked on our Trade of Opinions project, learning more about the Museum with specialists and creating poems and short written pieces inspired by the stories in the Collection. Today’s theme was ‘Environment’ and we learnt about Sir John Franklin and the quest for the North-West Passage.

We met Senior Exhibitions Curator, Claire Warrior, to learn more about the story, and worked with creative writer, Shez, to make our own stories.

We interviewed Claire. She told us the news about HMS Terror being discovered and explained the politics and the environmental situation in the Arctic, Matthew Jordan and India

Claire sharing her expertise with us

We looked at artefacts from the Franklin display in Voyagers and decided to look at the human aspect of the artefacts, Isobel

In Voyagers seeing the objects with Claire

With Shez in Voyagers

We then went to the Caird Library to look at some original letters and documents. We saw the last message Franklin wrote, saying ‘All Well’ which was then updated with news of his death. We also saw letters showing the decline into madness some of the men suffered, with one writing everything backwards and some writing in circles.

I enjoyed looking at the old original documents as it’s the only bits of evidence we have of what happened, Hannah

Claire with Bryn

Looking at artefacts in the Caird Library

Looking at original letters and notebooks

Isobel reading Franklin’s letters to his niece

Hannah, Claire and Gabriella

We went back to the Briefing Space and came up with questions to interview Claire. We asked why this story is still relevant, what it has to do with the environment and how does the Museum have these items today.

We took a lunch break then Shez taught us about haiku poems and how to write them. We all would start with the words ‘Hope on Hope ever’ inspired by the words Lady Jane Franklin sewed onto a banner for the search voyages.

Hope on Hope ever sledge flag

Shez teaching us about haiku

Writing our words

Writing a haiku

We wrote inspired by the words of Lady Franklin, and the objects we saw in the collection.

Hope On Hope Ever
Frosty layers cover him
Sun shines in her heart
Isobel

Hannah was inspired by the bell from the yacht ‘Fox’ sent to find Franklin

Ship’s bell from ‘Fox’ 1855

Hope on Hope ever
The bell will help find them
Canada we go
Hannah

Matthew Jordan was inspired by a snow knife made by Inuit people from a British knife taken on the Franklin expedition

Snow Knife

Hope on Hope ever
Low sun forever in sky
Curved blade never die
Matthew Jordan

Gabriella was inspired by one of Franklin’s medals found or given to an Inuit person

Franklin’s Medal

Hope on Hope ever
The medal in my cold hand
Takes me back in time
Gabriella

India was inspired by snow goggles, found by a search to find Franklin and his crew

Snow Goggles

Hope on Hope ever
You lay beneath the frosty ice
Forever blinded
India

We also wrote short 55 word stories and recorded them all for our audio guide.

Shez recording Isobel