something that i think has always distinguished @themerl.bsky.social is that despite our socials' content getting very silly, we've always taken the medium very seriously

the pod- is cast

Able to make it to Reading? We have a handful of tickets left for our Romany and Traveller Heritage Day this Saturday. Join us to celebrate these communities' rich histories and cultures, with activities like blacksmithing, flower making, dance, and more. merl.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/rom...

Brilliant explainer on the ill-fated and barmy Groundnut Scheme from @badsocialism.bsky.social. Nice to see a few bits of @themerl.bsky.social content finding a place in this woeful tale.

after the failed attempt of the last episode we have been able to successfully grow another beautiful .wav file, and in these trying and fallow times i think that's beautiful

It's not every day you bury a time capsule at work. But that's exactly what happened here last week! Learn more about a new project exploring the next hundred years of farming, as part of our celebrations of the @uniofreading.bsky.social's centenary. www.reading.ac.uk/news/2026/Un...

these have all been very fun, and this Late is also free!

we're back!

this will be so good! join us to produce and facilitate creative responses to the Modernist Archives Publishing Project and holdings linked to the Bloomsbury Group <3

a treat to chat again with @guyshrubsole.bsky.social! there are also some good outtakes from this episode where @olliedouglas.bsky.social and I spent 10 min eating fruit, which I'm sure we can use some day

new podcast episode: loading

Would you like some whimsy? We're sharing introductions to each of the rats in our Rat Trail by artist/maker Fong Scott. Watch now on our YouTube playlist! www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

hello! I have been very offline for a while because of various bits of holiday. what the heck happened to @romanpalace.bsky.social :(

i believe in aliens but more importantly i hope they believe in themselves

How does an eel think about its life? What are the steps? And when should it start to eat its own bones? This map tells you! “But SEH,” you say. “I don’t want to come here every time I need to see this!” Good news, friends! You can buy it here as a poster and put it on your wall! etsy.me/3Nvk5jK

had an amazing time yesterday at the Museum Association's Digital Tech day. really nice meeting and chatting to so many folks from across the sector <3

they said it couldn't be done. but they forgot one thing: The Museum of English Rural Life

happy birthday to our podcast xxxxx

MERL rn

Absolute Units returns! For our latest episode, we welcome @avlawson.bsky.social, the author, environmentalist, and activist. We chat about Adrian's career, his time with Extinction Rebellion, and his role in turning an abandoned meadow into a flourishing marsh. merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

this has been one of the most glorious projects I've ever worked on

Hello, we have something extraordinary to share with you.

Iran’s people were facing a horrible shortage of water before the war began. If we are destroying desalination plants and setting fire to Teheran we are committing unfathomable crimes.

Women curators, designers, and collectors have played a huge part throughout our history at The Museum of English Rural Life. For #InternationalWomensDay 2026, read about the stories of three women from our earlier years in our new blogpost. merl.reading.ac.uk/news-and-vie...

'...exposed UK museums and universities as “imperial charnel houses where the bones of Indigenous peoples torn from Britain’s empire in the past, with little or no regard to the spiritual sensibilities of its people, continue to be retained to this day in circumstances that beggar belief”.'

Saving for later … Part 1 was brilliant. All the good good spirited things we can do to tell different stories of the rural (the rural that’s there for all) create magic, move, engage & change things. Bravo @olliedouglas.bsky.social @joevaughan.net @lisaschneidau.bsky.social Ruth Webb & Crockern!

this is not news. we have been a fully sentient posting museum since at least 2016

We've now made six podcasts featuring artists, writers, and makers who feature in our current Radical Rural galleries trail. Hear from @maninthewoods.co.uk, @katrinanavickas.bsky.social, @lisaschneidau.bsky.social, and Ruth Webb on our website! merl.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/rad...

loved working on these episodes. huge thanks to @lisaschneidau.bsky.social, @olliedouglas.bsky.social, Ruth, and Crockern!

“Our models generally [don't encourage real world violence] but unfortunately they’re not perfect.” this isn't "not perfect"; it's "very, very bad" www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Absolute Units returns tomorrow! We're back with Ruth Webb and @lisaschneidau.bsky.social, picking up where we left off last time and continuing the story of Old Crockern and the fight for wild camping on Dartmoor. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

have you been looking for a reason to come to @themerl.bsky.social? here is a very good one

Tickets are now available for our next LATE! Join us after hours on the night of 25 March for drinks, activities, and talks. £5 per person; £3 concessions for @uniofreading.bsky.social staff/students. merl.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/spr...

A common fictional narrative shows people with nonconforming identities finding self-acceptance in towns and cities. This #LGBTQHistoryMonth, archivist Lottie Wood explores how author E. M. Barraud found the opposite, through rural work and the Women’s Land Army. merl.reading.ac.uk/news-and-vie...

News: we're thrilled to have received £80,000 of funding from the BFI to help us digitise a remarkable archive of agricultural films and make them available to the public! Read more on the @uniofreading.bsky.social website: www.reading.ac.uk/news/2026/Un...

Latest episode, expertly edited by my awesome co-host @joevaughan.net. Great chats with the fascinating @lisaschneidau.bsky.social and Ruth Webb!

This was a brilliant & galvanising listen: the power of giants & storytelling, the stars ARE ours, & so much more - so many things connected & woven together! A joyful listen @joevaughan.net @olliedouglas.bsky.social Ruth Webb & @lisaschneidau.bsky.social #RadicalRural @themerl.bsky.social

this was a real joy to record and work on. huge thanks to Ruth Webb and @lisaschneidau.bsky.social for bringing Old Crockern to @themerl.bsky.social <3

Performed at 3 comedy shows this week! I am picking up the pace, as they say

He wasn't initially called to religion, but then he saw the light.

We're also marking the launch of Radical Rural, a gallery trail championing many more voices who champion and care for rural England today. From summoning the folk spirits of England's woods and tors, to meticulously mapping the data of who really owns England. merl.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/rad...

here's how one of our trail displays arrived

New exhibition! Tomorrow, we open Voices of the Countryside, a celebration of 100 years of the Campaign to Protect Rural England. merl.reading.ac.uk/news-and-vie... @cprecountryside.bsky.social

please consult the chart

Absolute Units returns! Join @olliedouglas.bsky.social and @joevaughan.net as we continue reflecting on 75 years of The MERL. We discuss: - Colonial agriculture - Scandinavian folk museums - The @pittriversmuseum.bsky.social - Sauron - Cow bells And MUCH more. merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

BM using AI photos seems extremely out of touch with popular and sector sentiments around AI. very strange stuff

I did an interview about tone of voice at @themerl.bsky.social! We talked about: - The MERL pre- and post- absolute unit (the @adamkoszary.bsky.social era) - How I got to work in museums - Why you should be nice to your comms staff open.substack.com/pub/stratcommsurgery/p/comms-care-5

new job role just dropped

i have launched a further iteration of the textbox update and also explained more on my instagram www.instagram.com/p/DT7mzO_CJB...