INTRA STORIES.
"And because I thought that there was no way of blending in... I thought I'd go the total opposite." acts of rebellion from the Intra Stories archive
Intra - the space between Chatham and Rochester - holds a really interesting history. And our Intra Stories project, which started in late 2024, set out to engage young people with those stories - and to find new ones.
The project focused on local entertainment history; the vibrant theatres and DIY punk scene through to its LGBTQ+ social history. Some of the stories are joyous, and some represent more difficult experiences.
What young participants captured digitally, through street scanning and interviewing cultural voices, has been placed into a new online archive.
This informed the work that commissioned artists - Prithvi Arun, Jake Cowx, Tom Ward and Suze Cooper- have made in the form of beautiful interactive murals and a zine.
Intra Stories: Beyond the mainstream, a collection of 13 new digital heritage stories officially launches to the public on Saturday 18 April 2026, 12pm-1.30pm at the Creation Space, Sun Pier House.
Please drop in to try out the digital content on your phone and get a free printed copy of the zine!
The project focused on local entertainment history; the vibrant theatres and DIY punk scene through to its LGBTQ+ social history. Some of the stories are joyous, and some represent more difficult experiences.
What young participants captured digitally, through street scanning and interviewing cultural voices, has been placed into a new online archive.
This informed the work that commissioned artists - Prithvi Arun, Jake Cowx, Tom Ward and Suze Cooper- have made in the form of beautiful interactive murals and a zine.
Intra Stories: Beyond the mainstream, a collection of 13 new digital heritage stories officially launches to the public on Saturday 18 April 2026, 12pm-1.30pm at the Creation Space, Sun Pier House.
Please drop in to try out the digital content on your phone and get a free printed copy of the zine!
Janet Moore, CEO says:
"Digital technology now offers new ways to engage young people with their local history. Music and theatre have been great ways to draw younger generations into exploring further back. Through the Intra Stories project we have looked at recent moments, as well hundreds of years ago. I’m excited to see so many new and diverse stories coming out of this process for the young people involved, adding a new take on the existing body of knowledge in Medway."
"Digital technology now offers new ways to engage young people with their local history. Music and theatre have been great ways to draw younger generations into exploring further back. Through the Intra Stories project we have looked at recent moments, as well hundreds of years ago. I’m excited to see so many new and diverse stories coming out of this process for the young people involved, adding a new take on the existing body of knowledge in Medway."
The full zine - Beyond the mainstream - is available to read here.
The art murals will be available to view shortly.
The project archive is now live and can be accessed here.
The project worked with 86 young people aged 11-18, and our team of 3 trained Digital Archivists - Kyle Mather, Teri Brunt and Jack Coleman. This included:
- 8 Digital camps that included recording oral history from living cultural voices such as River Medway and Zara Carpenter.
- 4 Scan the Street! workshops that featured 3D scanning of architecture and a story walk with historian Robert Flood.
- multiple visits to Medway Archives and exploring other resources.
Intra Stories is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to engage young people with local entertainment and LGBTQ+ history using digital technology.
We also received funding from Postcode Society Trust with partner support from Medway Council, Historic Dockyard Chatham and the Intra Community Trust.
Photo credits: Tyler Austin.
We also received funding from Postcode Society Trust with partner support from Medway Council, Historic Dockyard Chatham and the Intra Community Trust.
Photo credits: Tyler Austin.
