Radical archiving is the act of reclaiming memory and history from institutional control, turning preservation into a communal, creative, and political practice rooted in local agency. Through structured training or more flexible open drop-in sessions, each will empower you to gain the practical and ethical skills necessary to document and reinterpret the stories that matter most, ensuring a diverse and living record of Glasgow's East End is built collectively.
Check our what’s on page for upcoming sessions.
2025 -2026
The Radical Archiving Project is an exploration of memory and local history through the lens of archiving, initially focusing on two compelling research subjects deeply rooted in Glasgow's East End: The Pipe Factory Ltd Archive (2011-2019) and the legacy of William White and Sons clay pipe factory. Crucially, the historic B-listed pipe factory building is located right in the heart of The Barras Market, making this vibrant area the central context for our work. This programme reframes archiving as a radical, creative, and communal practice, offering a space to reclaim and shape narratives - from the site's industrial past, evidenced in the millions of clay pipes once produced here, to its modern life as a community and cultural hub.
Our commitment to Radical Archiving is enduring - forming a core part of The Pipe Factory’s wider "Eventually Everything" programme, which seeks to connect "people, ideas, objects" through collective storytelling and making. Our hope our archival work will continue in the refurbished space when renovations are complete in April 2026.
Our 2025-2026 programme offers two ways to get involved. A structured 8 week training programme will guide participants through the technical foundations and ethical considerations of preservation, covering skills like cataloguing, digitisation, oral history, and ethical memory work. We will be actively engaging with existing materials and the history of The Pipe Factory, using accessible methods to unearth the hidden stories of the Calton and Barras communities. Additionally, we will host open drop-in, more informal sessions for those who want to contribute to the archive, share memories, or simply learn more about the project, particularly how diverse materials, from paper and photos to sound and clay, tell their own stories.
No experience is needed, only a willingness to learn, share, and connect the past with the present.
For more information contact erika@strangefield.org