Exhibition: Memory Alive/Stories from the Dresden Community
This exhibition is a continuation of the Memory Alive workshop, which took place on 26 October 2018 as part of the monthly programme “yOUR Community” organised by “Kultur Aktiv” in cooperation with DIFO – Dresdner Institut für Fortbildung (Dresden Institute for Further Education).
It is part of the micro-programme of START scholarship holder Hana Sebestova, which is supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation.
“After discussions with my host, we looked for a common theme that focuses on the needs of the local community and on issues that resonate with and divide society today, as well as on the desire to work towards change.”
The project “Memory Alive/Stories of Dresden Community” consists of three activities: a workshop, an exhibition and video interviews.
Memory as a tool, as a reflection of the diverse societies in which we live, of the different paths to understanding.
The project idea was to share personal life stories in open discussions in a creative way, to understand each other and get closer, open to anyone who wanted to share, with a focus on people with refugee, migrant and difficult life paths.
During the workshop, we used non-formal methods, including creative writing.
With the help of creative, autobiographical writing, we searched for an artistic voice for our lives.
The creative writing consisted of three phases of sharing memories, starting with childhood, followed by the question “Why did we leave our homes and our country?” and concluding with thoughts about the present and wishes for the future. We brought the light of the past into the present and remembered how our lives have changed.
The result of the workshop is a collection of short stories, illustrated by the participants and presented in the exhibition.
The exhibition is used as an educational tool and shown in schools and other public institutions as a small step towards mutual understanding and a better society.
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