ARCHIVING GRIEF

"Death is the reason we archive, whether it is the fear of it, the anticipation of it, or the aftermath of death..." Samantha Dacunto

As Archivists and Humans, we have the power to decide what is kept and discarded, which serves to cultivate a historical narrative interlacing truth, nostalgia and bias. Archival work captures memory as it exists in the moment leaving traces of all those who have come before. It is believed that we archive largely due to the fear of being forgotten, that without documentation our memory, and the memories of those we love, will cease to exist. As memory is often inherently flawed, ephemera, records and material belongings seek to represent and connect us to a deeper understanding of how we fit into our past, present and future worlds. 

Reasons for Personal Archiving:

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Discovery and definition of the self

Honouring those we care about

Connecting with the past 

Finding and creating a sense of place

Framing both the individual and collective historical record

Seeking to augment or rewrite historical injustices and or generational traumas

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Uncovering the Past...Preserving the Legacy.

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Coming Soon...Archiving Grief. A community based project seeking to support, document and better understand the unifying powers of grief and grief expression. Stay tuned on the website and at @embodiedgrief on instagram for updates and information.

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Please be in touch to learn more about The Embodied Grief Archive.