Coralie Acheson

I’m Coralie – a lapsed archaeologist now PhD researcher in Cultural Heritage. I’m exploring how the things that are significant about Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site (in Shropshire) get communicated to tourists and what they make of it all. Before getting into this I both studied and worked as an archaeologist and planning consultant but I realised I had become more interested in why people care about the past – hence the diversion into the dark side of heritage studies! The best thing about that has been that I actually get to talk to living people as part of my work which has got me trying to think of more and better ways to do this. I’ve been exploring using storytelling, walking and filmmaking as ways of communicating research, which led to the creation of a social media art installation called #SlowIronbridge which I’ve used to connect with locals, practitioners and artists. I’m really excited about trying to find new ways to talk about arts and social science research, particularly within the physical and online spaces where the research has taken place.