Future Memories: A Social Archive in Singapore
Social Archiving is a new model of caring for objects and ephemera that have grassroots heritage value. By combining curating, gift-giving, storytelling and collective safekeeping, social archiving renews the life of a collection and offers a social platform for intergenerational learning, public stewardship, and legacy building. Drawing from the history of archival art and working cross-culturally in Singapore, the interdisciplinary studio explores the potential of social archiving for intergenerational learning and the design of an archive spatial in an ageing neighbourhood.
Social Archiving is a new model of caring for objects and ephemera that have grassroots heritage value. By combining curating, gift-giving, storytelling and collective safekeeping, social archiving renews the life of a collection and offers a social platform for intergenerational learning, public stewardship, and legacy building. Drawing from the history of archival art and working cross-culturally in Singapore, the interdisciplinary studio explores the potential of social archiving for intergenerational learning and the design of an archive spatial in an ageing neighbourhood.
Students interviewing an elderly participants to gather stories of their objects
Chinese artist Song Dong’s work Touching My Father inspired the team to use light as a medium and a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of memories. The images of objects gathered through the team’s interview with an elderly resident are projected on the water surface in the evening. To sustain interest, residents and visitors can use an app to upload their own memories onto the archive’s server. Transforming the bridge into a public archive turned a utilitarian infrastructure into a place to linger in the evening. It became a connector for the residents physically, socially and culturally.
Students: Freya, Tom Tse, Hillman Wong/Y4. 2020.
Students: Freya, Tom Tse, Hillman Wong/Y4. 2020.
Grace Ng and Seow Wei proposed a photography corner next to an open-air playground. After noticing that grandparents bring their kids to the playground daily, they believe the space will have a captured audience. The corner showcases photos of the neighborhood taken by the residents. Workshops are held to help the elderly residents to take photos with their cellphones. The photography corner is envisaged as a bright and vibrant space that will attract both children and grandparents alike. Sprinkled among the neighbourhood are spaces designed as stage set for visitors and residents to take photos. The spaces are curated and maintained by the residents with the help of architecture and design students.
