Preactive Memory/ Preactive Memorials

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BUILD YOUR OWN MEMORIAL WORKSHOP Version 1.

You don’t need the state to create a memorial. Own it yourself. Learn how!

Do we need to wait for the crisis to be over to create a memorial for it?

What if we create it during or before a crisis? Since all crises are an ongoingprocess?

Does it always have to be a later generation making sense of a crisis event and creating

a memorial to honour their ancestors?

What memorial can we build NOW keeping in mind what we want to communicate

to future generations? What do you want to tell them?

Welcome to the concept of preactive memory and memorials, where we explore memory work

done in the present for the future. This area of exploration is specifically advocated for people

and communities belonging to the marginalised and the oppressed, as healing, resistance,

activism, record keeping, and community work.

Workshop outline:

In the session, we will explore using a combination of hands-on exercises, reflection, discussion

and information sessions.

● What do we each personally feel must be memorialised, and why? This is a call to

explore our own relationship with memorials and memory culture.

● Case studies from around the world and events that have been before and during the

crisis- Grassroots, community-driven, decentralised.

● The individuals/group stimulus behind some of the most prominent memorials that are

attributed to the state, a fact which is conveniently left out from the official information at

the memorials.

● The thinking, activity, and embodiment inherent in these memory works and our

relationship to the future.

● A toolkit to explore how to embody and realise this form of memory work. To reclaim and

own the word ‘Memorial’. Accessible to everyday people to practise and realise.

Who is this Workshop For?

Groups, organisations, and communities interested in exploring their histories, identities, and

stories through memory work. This workshop is especially relevant for social justice groups,

cultural organisations, or anyone working with marginalised communities.

Duration:

3 hours/ 6 hours/ multi-day. With breaks (Flexible)

Workshop Fees:

The workshop is accessible to all. Fees are flexible and based on:

Free/Donation-based: For individuals or grassroots organisations with limited resources.

Need-Based Contribution: For small organisations.

Sliding Scale/Funding-Based: For larger organisations or those with institutional funding.

Content note:

The memory works and memorials discussed deal with crises of humanity, including genocide,

the AIDS crisis, COVID-19, and climate change. These are part of the case studies of memory

work being presented. The workshop's primary focus is to use memory tools and strategies from

these examples to work on your own memory project.

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contact

preactivememory@proton.me