Memory: Collective vs. Individual Narratives

Abstract

“Memory is one of the key ingredients in the creation of place. It is subject to political as well as physical operations” (Borden et al. 2001).

The main interest throughout the course of my studies at the Bartlett, has been to observe the relationship between memory and our experience of the city bearing in mind the importance of everyday routines. This was studied at an individual scale using narratives to explore further how the passage of time contributes to this experience and how events of the past have an impact on the future of a place. The context of this study is set in Clerkenwell/London which bears a strong element of time and stands as a symbol of the passage of time. With the city growing and daily routines becoming modernized, people inhabiting the city are growing to become less and less in contact with each other, especially face to face; and their daily activities leave them more and more isolated from one and another. Hence the focus was to create a subconscious basis for encouraging more social interaction based on very specific narratives. The inevitable argument, which automatically gets involved, is about the creation of space and its role in place making: in other words, the way we perceive space and our definition of it. The ‘box space’ created by walls holding a volume of space versus the experience of space. The important factor to be argued here is that it is precisely the experience and the function of a particular space which forms its identity . It is the movement within it and with movement comes interaction ; going from A to B, adjustments have to be made on the way. Consequently daily stories and memories are formed through these transitions and interactions.