The Digital Archive of Forgotten Memories (DAFM) was originally initiated to propose a new format to communicate central themes of the POEM research project. The DAFM is envisioned as a participatory space to talk about the process of forgetting, where we would asked the visitor to envision something to forget, and then physically destroy this item under our guidance. The installations generated interesting discussions about what it means to remember and forget on an individual, social and institutional level. Here you can download a step-by-step guide and templates to create your own archive.
Anyone is welcome to download the guide and create their own version of the archive. It is available under CC-BY-SA licensing, adjust it as you like and as it fits your setup and needs. We, for example, organized it in a conference setting and as part of a museum workshop. In addition to such environments, you could consider organizing your own Digital Archive of Forgotten Memories in a classroom, library, archive, or at social events.
The Digital Archive of Forgotten Memories is created by Anne Chahine and Inge Zwart. They created this guide based on feedback from participants at two installations, one of which was co-organised with Franziska Mucha and Susanne Boersma. Susanne also organised an evaluation of the concept and compiled an early draft of this guide. Samantha Lutz provided organizational support throughout this process. Inge and Anne are curious to hear about your experience with the help of this step-by-step guide, and have plans to further develop the project themselves.
