People behind transformation of Preston's Harris Museum caught on film

The transformation of the Harris museum, art gallery and library in Preston has been caught on a series of short films.

Project Voices, by Buttress Architects, is a short series of three-minute-long films which showcases the people behind the projects.

Rolling out this week, the release of the films will coincide with the one-year anniversary of The Harris’ re-opening, following its restoration programme.

Project Voices is a short series of three-minute-long films which showcases the people behind the projects. In the case of The Harris, those selected include a team leader, the decorative art curator and a regular volunteer. All three films will be teased out on Buttress’ website and social media channels throughout the week.

Last September, the reopening of The Harris was a culmination of Preston's most ambitious cultural investment to transforming it into a dynamic 21st-century destination while preserving its historic significance. The renovation has created 23 separate visitor spaces across 60,000 square feet, including new galleries, learning spaces, family facilities, café and shop. The building also features a new blended library throughout, supported by a £1.375M contribution from Lancashire County Council.

Sophie Teale is a team leader at The Harris whose favourite part of the building is the library. Sophie sees first-hand the bustling galleries and welcomes the many visitors who spend hours exploring the building.

Scott Schiavone is the decorative art curator at The Harris, who helps care for a collection of more than 60,000 objects. He is careful to preserve the stories, artwork and artefacts that connect generations of visitors with Preston's past, present and future.

Born and bred in Preston, Pat Fogg is a former history teacher with fond memories of visiting The Harris with her mum each week to return their library books. Today, she volunteers with the textile collection and is also part of the Highlight Talks Team.

Working with the Grade I-listed status of The Harris and its magnificent architecture created an opportunity for Buttress to create something unique.

A spokesperson for Buttress said: ‘’The project was always about much more than restoring the fabric. It was about understanding what makes The Harris special and then deliberately reshaping how the building works so that it could become a more open, connected and useful museum, gallery, library and civic space.

‘’The success The Harris is seeing now was not accidental; it was planned into the project from the outset.

‘’Seeing the building busy, how people are using it, and hearing their own reflections through our Project Voices films is a powerful confirmation that the strategy worked.’’