Transformative Memory Archive

Items

• Public Catalogue: Mapping and Reimaging
  This is the public catalogue of TMIN Travelling Exhibit, "Mapping and Reimaging: Difficult Archives, Difficult Memories." The exhibit brought together 13 creators from Uganda, Palestine, Pakistan, Nigeria, Mexico, Indonesia, Indigenous territories in the world, Cuba, Colombia, and Canada.
• Standing with the Posters
  TMIN members Ayu Ratih and Nila Utami, both from Indonesia, stood with the posters from artist Alit Ambara, also from Indonesia. This is a gesture of solidarity and friendship for Alit who was not present at the Mapping and Reimaging exhibit where 6 of posters, emerging from different TMIN research activities, were exhibited.
• Memories of Jinefer Lanyero
  Memories of Jinefer Lanyero is belongings of missing loved ones created by the Families of the Missing, a community-based associations of relatives who continue to search and advocate for the right to know what happened to their missing loved ones following the war in northern Uganda. This piece contains a school notebook, a ball made of banana leaves, an Otac (used to carry a pot of water). These are keepsakes of Oryem David, Gulu-Uganda.
• Dancing Memory: Judith Colibri
  Dancer and member of the Butterflies in Spirit (BIS) Judith Colibri in preparation for her dance performance. Judith offers her dance as a gesture for the pieces exhibited at the Mapping and Reimaging Exhibition.
• Opening Address: Mapping and Reimaging
  TMIN member and UBC PhD candidate, Alejandra Gaviria, delivered her opening address at the TMIN exhibit launch. Alejandra is the exhibit coordinator and co-curators of the exhibit "Mapping and Reimaging: Difficult Archives, Difficult Memories."
• Butterflies in Spirit
  Lorelei Williams and Judith Colibri from the Indigenous dance and advocacy group Butterflies in Spirit performing their gesture at the opening event of TMIN exhibition "Mapping and Reimaging: Difficult Archives, Difficult Memories." A piece from Butterflies in Spirit, titled "We Will Never Forget: Nunca Olvidaremos," was also exhibited along other pieces in this exhibition.
• The Poet
  Juliane Okot Bitek, author and Queen's University professor, read one her poems at the opening exhibit of TMIN exhibition "Mapping and Reimaging: Difficult Archives, Difficult Memories." Juliane also led an activation moment where she shared paper cuts of her poem along with a pebble tied together in a string.
• The Learners' Network
  As part of the Toronto Memolab activities, TMIN's Learner's Network held a one-day hybrid gathering. The purpose of this gathering is to to strengthen the Learners’ Network, get to know one another, learn and think with one another, and be together, and to deepen our conceptual and analytical understanding of memory and the work of memory. The gathering was closed by an open dialogue session on "What is the Work of Transformative Memory?" facilitated by TMIN co-directors, Pilar Riaño-Alcalá and Erin Baines.
• Pieces of a Poem: An Offering
  These pieces of papers tied in a string are a gesture of activation by Juliane Okot Bitek. Each strung paper contained a part of Juliane's poem and a piece of pebble collected from the territory. Audience of the TMIN exhibit launch was offered this gift as a gesture that somebody would bring home something from the territory and words of a poem to their home and their territory.
• To Color with Eyes Closed
  This photo of a set of crayon pencils held by TMIN member and UBC professor Elizabeth Shaffer was taken during Toronto Memolab's Art Creation Workshop. Zena Lord and Junia Mason led a creative writing workshop that invited the participants to ignite your curiosity and explore imagination through narrative, music, and the flow of pencil dancing. One of the activations they led was to draw a memory with the crayon pencils with our eyes closed.
• Interconnection and Hope
  Maxine Kamari Clarke, University of Toronto professor, TMIN member and lead of the Toronto Memolab, led the last activation and moments of reflection of the Memolab. Kamari invited the participants to hold on to and lean on to one another, forming interconnection that sparked alchemy, a feeling of being transformed after moments of togetherness.
• To Bring People Into Circle
  Author and Queen's University professor, Juliane Okot Bitek, led the final exercise where participants were standing in a circle and asked to offer one word, in any languages, that capture this moment. Some of the words offered include solidarity, gratitude, ancestors, and together.
• A Piece of Beaded Memory
  Women's Advocacy Network (WAN) from Uganda created a mini tapestry that is beaded onto a tote bag. In this tote bag, the mini tapestry depicted a woman being tortured by two soldiers. This reflected the experience of many women abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) during the war in northern Uganda.
• Pieces of Exhibition
  This video shows two of the artworks exhibited at the State of the Art exhibit at the Chocolate Factory, Dublin. The first was a poem titled For You Without Skin by Ugandan poet and professor at the Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Juliane Okot Bitek. The poem is also accompanied by a video of Juliane reading the poem. The second artwork is a collection of poster arts by Indonesian artist Alit Ambara. Both artists are members of the Transformative Memory International Network.
• Hidden Barrier to Peace
  Professor Dominic Bryan of Queens University (right side) led the Hidden Barriers bus tour for the participants of the Memolab. A focal point of the tour was the towering 'Peace Walls’, tangible symbols of division erected to shield opposing factions from the darkest extremes of one another. In peacetime, however, these imposing structures took on an unintended role as barriers, hindering the integration of two communities.
• Testimony of the Tapestry
  TMIN member Dorcus Atyeno (Justice and Reconciliation Project) sat in front of the 'Beading Memory' tapestry. The tapestry created by the women of Women's Advocacy Network in Northern Uganda and tells their collective memories of the war in northern Uganda. The tapestry was part of the State of the Art exhibition held at the Chocolate Factory, Dublin.
• In the beginning there was poster
  Participants engaged with Indonesian poster artist Alit Ambara's collections. The posters were part of the State of the Art exhibition held at the Chocolate Factory, Dublin. In a workshop, participants chose any artwork that resonated or echoed for them and then discussed the artwork among themselves. They then created a short performance as a gesture to respond and reciprocate to the artwork.
• Music for Peace
  Ugandan artist Jeff Korondo performing during "Remembrance," a MemoLab live performance featuring a live musical performance that featured him along with singer songwriter Hilary Bow, a performance of ‘At Summer’s End’ by Féiim James performed by Carla Ryan and poetry from The Feeling Soul by Mary Moynihan performed by Carla Ryan, Rob Harrington and Niamh Sweeney.
• Round of Reflection
  Participants of the Ireland/Northern Ireland Memolab sat together for a round of reflection after engaging in a series of workshop and artist talk on the first day of the Memolab and the State of the Art exhibition, held at the Chocolate Factory, Dublin.
• Two Hands to the Sky
  Pictured here are the two hands of Ugandan artist Jeff Korondo who partnered with Professor Aimee Craft (University of Ottawa) in a workshop entitled "Performing Memories," a practical theatre-based workshop. This was held on 15 October 2022 at the Chocholate Factory, Dublin, where the State of the Art exhibition was held.