Millipede’s philosophy lies in its name.  A creature with many eyes and many legs, hence many points of view and great mobility.  Millipedes are classified by biologists as detritovores, they consume leftovers, the rubbish that others leave behind.  (They Are Here, 2008)

Millipede was a LIFT Living Archive participatory arts project run during LIFT Festival 2008 Stratford.  A team of 12 young volunteers worked with the artist collective They Are Here, to develop a range of technical skills and explore creative approaches to documenting an arts festival.

Participants attended a series of workshops at Community Links Youth Venue New Canteen in Newham prior to the festival. Through creative exercises and discussion participants explored how they might capture responses to the festival in various ways, including sound, video, photography, performance and writing.

Participants were encouraged to document hidden or unnoticed parts of the festival as well as the main event.

The refusal to disregard the worth of the slightest moment or gesture is underpinned by a deep respect for the ‘ultra-ordinary’: we don’t throw anything away because there is no rubbish. (They Are Here, 2008)

Complex issues of copyright and intellectual property were discussed in relation to archives. Participants worked with a professional archivist to understand their responsibility as documenters and to consider carefully how future researchers might interpret and use the results of their documentation.

The Millipede archive was presented publicly at the ‘Millipede Sharing Event’ at LIFT Festival 2008 Southbank Centre on 4 July 2008.