The Oracle of Place
A practice-based research project exploring how people relate to the places they live.
Based in Kington, Herefordshire, and led by Rebecca Burns at the University of Worcester, the project brings together creative practice, oral history and participatory methods to explore how connection to place is formed, experienced and sustained.
About the Project
The Oracle of Place explores how everyday encounters with landscape, memory and story shape people’s sense of belonging.
Rather than documenting place as a fixed object, the project focuses on how meaning is created through attention, interpretation and shared experience. It asks how people come into relationship with the places they live, and how those relationships can be deepened over time.
At its centre is a guiding question:
Can a set of place-based oracle cards, created from the stories and memories of local residents, help people notice, value and stay connected to their landscape?
WHAT ARE ORACLE CARDS (IN THIS PROJECT)?
Oracle cards are used here as a creative and material format for meaning-making.
They are not used for prediction. Instead, they function as:
prompts for attention
tools for reflection
carriers of local knowledge
Each card is rooted in a real place, story, route or landscape feature that holds meaning for the people of Kington.
When drawn and interpreted, the cards invite people to:
notice familiar places differently
reflect on their own relationship to place
engage with shared stories in new ways
In this sense, the cards act as a form of living cultural infrastructure, something that keeps stories in circulation, rather than storing them in static archives.
HOW THE PROJECT WORKS
Stage 1: Collecting Stories
Local residents are invited to share their memories, experiences and knowledge of Kington’s everyday places.
This takes place through:
oral history interviews
written story submissions
These contributions form the foundation of the oracle deck.
Stage 2: Creating and Using the Cards
Stories gathered in Stage 1 inform the development of a community oracle deck.
Participants are invited to:
shape and name the cards through workshops
contribute to how they are understood and used
The cards are then circulated and used in real-world settings, exploring how they influence people’s connection to place over time.
The Oracle of Place explores how culture is lived, shared and sustained through everyday relationships with the places we inhabit.