PLACE+MEMORY HERITAGE INITIATIVE
Memory is not an abstract concept. Culture, heritage, and identity—as concomitant manifestations of collective (familial, social, cultural) memory—are threatened by the disappearance—whether gradual or imminent—of places, the physical sites with which they are associated. Whether undertaken in the name of beautification, renovation, development, or progress, the consequence of these actions is the literal displacement of memory as a effect of erasure. The added urgency of this Initiative therefore relates to the way(s) Caribbean people situate culture and heritage in our respective societies and the way(s) we practice our collective identities in relation to the culture(s) we identify as relevant.
The Place+Memory Heritage Event Initiative is geared toward locating, situating, and deliberately reconnecting memory through interactive site visits to important, overlooked, and neglected heritage sites (both built and natural) throughout the region. It features creative community-based research and preservation projects that encourage participants (facilitators, volunteers, students, etc.) to engage collaboratively toward the understanding and appreciation of various sites of Caribbean public memory.
What we often find is that physical places can outlive memory—or seem to—because places remain when memories seem to fade. We have taken this fact for granted throughout the history of development in the region. However, as local municipalities, governmental agencies, and private companies move to enact their respective visions of development, many Caribbean cities face a virtual crisis in the preservation of memory and the critical role memory plays in sustaining culture and identity in the region and beyond it.
The rationale for this initiative is that by having a physical location where memory can be explored, participants will be inclined to remember and reflect on the past in a contemporary context. Furthermore, they will be encouraged to directly engage in the physical environment that has remained, and in so doing help to (re)construct a sustainable narrative for themselves, their contemporaries, their forebears and their successors. Most importantly, they will be able to make the practice of culture and the consolidation of heritage part of a local, national, regional, and international conversation in deliberative practice that combines critical approaches in archival conservation, digital innovation, and academic inquiry from a uniquely Caribbean perspective.
Nothing lasts forever. Change is inevitable. We understand that artifacts cannot always be saved in their original form, but we believe that we must try to preserve what remains--however long that may be. We attempt to do so in innovative ways that not only engage the interest of broad audiences, but also promote meaningful interaction among them in the service of community.
The ultimate goal, as we see it, is learning, collective uplift, and goodwill.
The Place+Memory Heritage Event Initiative is geared toward locating, situating, and deliberately reconnecting memory through interactive site visits to important, overlooked, and neglected heritage sites (both built and natural) throughout the region. It features creative community-based research and preservation projects that encourage participants (facilitators, volunteers, students, etc.) to engage collaboratively toward the understanding and appreciation of various sites of Caribbean public memory.
What we often find is that physical places can outlive memory—or seem to—because places remain when memories seem to fade. We have taken this fact for granted throughout the history of development in the region. However, as local municipalities, governmental agencies, and private companies move to enact their respective visions of development, many Caribbean cities face a virtual crisis in the preservation of memory and the critical role memory plays in sustaining culture and identity in the region and beyond it.
The rationale for this initiative is that by having a physical location where memory can be explored, participants will be inclined to remember and reflect on the past in a contemporary context. Furthermore, they will be encouraged to directly engage in the physical environment that has remained, and in so doing help to (re)construct a sustainable narrative for themselves, their contemporaries, their forebears and their successors. Most importantly, they will be able to make the practice of culture and the consolidation of heritage part of a local, national, regional, and international conversation in deliberative practice that combines critical approaches in archival conservation, digital innovation, and academic inquiry from a uniquely Caribbean perspective.
Nothing lasts forever. Change is inevitable. We understand that artifacts cannot always be saved in their original form, but we believe that we must try to preserve what remains--however long that may be. We attempt to do so in innovative ways that not only engage the interest of broad audiences, but also promote meaningful interaction among them in the service of community.
The ultimate goal, as we see it, is learning, collective uplift, and goodwill.
PLACE+MEMORY INTERACTIVE CARIBBEAN MAP - COMING SOON!
Our interactive heritage map will allow you to travel virtually throughout the region to view remaining examples of folk and colonial architecture, as well as the stunning natural heritage sites throughout the region. Each country page will also have its own interactive map, so if you have photos of natural or built structures where live, then we'd love to hear from you. Feel free to either upload them here, or email links to them via info@caribbeanmemoryproject.com with a brief description, including street, town/village, and country name. Exact map coordinates would be especially helpful. Stay tuned and in the meantime, check out some Place+Memory features we've been working on.
Our interactive heritage map will allow you to travel virtually throughout the region to view remaining examples of folk and colonial architecture, as well as the stunning natural heritage sites throughout the region. Each country page will also have its own interactive map, so if you have photos of natural or built structures where live, then we'd love to hear from you. Feel free to either upload them here, or email links to them via info@caribbeanmemoryproject.com with a brief description, including street, town/village, and country name. Exact map coordinates would be especially helpful. Stay tuned and in the meantime, check out some Place+Memory features we've been working on.
EXISTING & ONGOING PLACE+MEMORY PROJECTS
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