When I was thinking of what to focus on for my artist book I was drawn to the idea of shared/collective memory. When we think of thing that we all remember we tend to focus on the disasters such as 911, Pearl Harbor, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other destructive forces. We ignore other happier shared experiences. The first thing that came to my mind of a happy shared experience was the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I watched the opening ceremony with my family and I just now rewatched it on YouTube. It was a moment in time which I will cherish. I wish that more of our shared memories could be moments of magic instead of destruction.
We also vividly remember the painful the memories because they are often revisited in the media and culture. I'm not saying that we should forget the painful memories, rather we should balance them with humor and happieness. This is supposed to be a happy occasion...
.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jO1EOhGkY0&NR=1 (5:48)
I LOVE this approach, Alan - I think there is so much potential here. And I agree, there are countless cultural events that we have collective memory for that are not necessarily tragic. I think the idea of ,as you say, balancing painful memories with humor and happiness is excellent. Your mention of the Beijing Olympics makes me think also of the 1980 men's hockey team - before your time a bit, but a great collective memory!
ReplyDeleteAnd Monty Python - awesome! What a perfect mix of history and humor, eh?