Living Archaeology of the Place

Living Archaeology of the Place (2012-2014)

An intergenerational and intercultural engagement programme conceived by the Alda Terracciano to generate public engagement with the installation Streets of… 7 cities in 7 minutes, and develop a deeper understanding of diverse cultures in the UK, challenging cultural stereotypes and lowering social barriers.

Between August and November 2012 the artist devised and delivered ten Memory Sessions with members of Brazilian, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Moroccan and Portuguese communities in London, who either come from or had direct knowledge of the cities represented in the installation. After experiencing the artworks, participants were asked to share feelings, thoughts and memories of their city. The debate focussed on old traditions, everyday rituals and contemporary urban life, as well as personal notions of home and cultural identity. By discussing the body language, sounds, gestures and ceremonies unique to each city, participants accessed their own ancestral memories of the place. The result is a unique tapestry of cross-cultural heritage of migration in London, which can be explored along themes and geographical locations in the People’s Memory Archive. As part of their contributions to the Memory Sessions participants brought with them cultural items that best represented their connection to the cities. Members of the audience also contributed to this online visual repository sending material online.

In 2014, as part of the presentation of Streets of… 7 cities in 7 minutes at the Universal Forum of Cultures in Naples, the artist delivered a series of Memory Sessions with members of the local audience. Extracts of the video documentation of these sessions are included in the People’s Memory Archive.

If you would like to contribute to this digital archive, please contact us here.