Lift Living Archive

The Lift Living Archive is a unique learning resource for anyone interested in the development of international theatre and performance from 1981 to 2001. The archive contains documents, photographs, prints, objects, audio and video recordings tracing the first 20 years of Lift's history.

The full Lift Living Archive is available on site at Goldsmiths, University of London Library and an online version of the catalogue will be available from Spring 2009.

Building the Lift Living Archive
Stage 1 of the project (November 2005 - May 2006) was a research and development phase funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Foundation for Sport and the Arts. Lift surveyed its archive materials, engaged potential archive users through market research and piloted innovative approaches to using the archive as a creative tool for learning and participation.

In stage 2 (June 2007 - March 2009), also funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Lift fully appraised and catalogued the physical archive and selected 1000 items to be digitised and made available online. In August 2008, the Lift Living Archive was deposited with Special Collections at Goldsmiths, University of London Library.

Learning and Participation
From October 2008, the MA Applied Drama: Theatre in Educational, Community and Social Contexts programme at Goldsmiths has been collaborating with Lift on an innovative archive research project. By working jointly with a local primary and secondary school, as well as two local community groups, MA Applied Drama students are exploring how the Lift Living Archive can enable creative learning and participation processes.

The outcomes of this project will be written up as detailed case studies with supporting learning resources and will be available to view on the Lift Living Archive website, launching in Spring 2009.

Further information
If you have any questions or comments relating to the Lift Living Archive please contact archive@liftfest.org.uk.

To find out more about the first 25 years of Lift read The Turning World: Stories from the London International Festival of Theatre by Lift's founding directors, Rose Fenton and Lucy Neal.