About the Project
Waking the Dead is a project which was funded by £76,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Over the project the octavia Foundation has engaged with over 100 young people of varying ages and backgrounds from the local area. These young people were given access to numerous training opportunities such as oral history recording, film making and archive research.
Some of the young people who were unable to access this sort of digital media training were feeling isolated before this project, due to mental health or unemployment. During the project the young people explored the lives and local history of the figures buried at Kensal Green Cemetery (such as Joe Strummer, Harold Pinter and Wilkie Collins) and explored the different traditions, cultures and approaches to death. The young people have created 2 short films, a visual media art installation and a smart phone app which allows users to take an interactive tour of the cemetery, documenting the notable and interesting figures buried there. 
When you walk around Kensal Green Cemetery it is easy to get lost not only in the history but also the endless amount of paths, walkways and roads. It is huge. It is also home to some 250000 people who are buried in 65000 graves. and covers almost 72 acres of land. Thanks to our project volunteers you can now download the Waking the Dead app from both the App Store and Google Play, which will guide you around Kensal Green Cemetery. |
As part of the project the spoken word artist Akala delivered a workshop to Year 6 pupils from St Thomas’ primary on the musical history of the local area, which the young people then used as inspiration to create spoken word pieces and art exploring death. 
Overall the project has achieved...
All of which have contributed to the heritage of Kensal Green Cemetery and West London, highlighting this magnificent treasure trove of history. 
|
Film projects
• The Beats Beneath - a focus on seminal musicians buried at Kensal Green Cemetery
• Waking the Dead - a film influenced by creative figures buried at Kensal Green Cemetery |
App for Kensal Green Cemetery• Is available on Apple and Android devices
• Content includes photography, biographies and oral histories • It locates over 20 key graves and locations through GPS |
Publications
• App
• Blog • Social Media • Exhibition |
