Memory as an Archive

An Memwar

Mauritius may be perceived as an idyllic place; a melting pot of cultures for such a small island, living in harmony and of course, tourist traps. A lot, however, is at stake. Mauritius has only gained independence from the British since 1968, and the island’s French colonial influences and legacies are still as prevalent to this day. As much as one wants to rid the world of racism, it is still very much present and rampant in multicultural communities. And colonialism’s impact is a lot to blame, especially in the urban and sub-urban segregation of the races. With that colonial impact, comes colonial memory - a memory that people born in the recent decades have not directly experienced.

Growing up in Mauritius, one is not taught the whole history of the colonial era, nor its multi-faceted effects on society. The descendants of indentured laborers, merchants, colonizers, and slaves are dying of age - and so are their ancestral stories. Soon, the future generations of Mauritians will grow unaware, and ignorant of the island’s history of segregation and oppression. Local history books do not say enough. Official historicities are controlled, and so is the colonial narrative.

In order to mitigate the extinction of colonial memory, “An Memwar (In Memoriam)” attempts to collect, and archive memories for future generations. The project will be collecting memories via historic telephone booth installations, retrofitted into memory booths by leaving voicemails. The voicemails will then be available to listen within a dial from the telephone booth installations, and on an online platform made available to the greater public. How “An Memwar” engages with the public in visibility is with a public partnership with an up-and-coming Mauritian artist, providing an existing platform to reach multiple demographics. The installation will physically participate with the public in distinct locations, each outlining An Memwar’s historical magnitudes.

Proposal worked with authorization of the Mauritian artist’s murals, Gael Froget.

Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Critic: Dr. Krzysztof Wodiczko
Cambridge, MA
Fall 2020