Things! The Material Worlds of Humanity: Michelle Charest

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Memory and Materiality: Representing the Great Famine

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If I were to tell you that the two memorials pictured above commemorate the same historical event, would you be surprised? I was.

Both images depict memorials to the Great Irish Famine, yet the imagery that these memorials employ is strikingly different. In the lower image, we see famine ravaged individuals, just skin and bones, eyes pleading to the heavens for hope. In the upper image, we see a strong and healthy Irish family, striding forward with purpose. How could such opposing representations of the Famine be logically justified? The key to this disparity, it would seem, relates directly to the locations in which we find these memorials. The memorial on the bottom is found in Dublin and the memorial on the top, in Boston. Arguably the memories of this event are entirely different in these two cities. In Ireland, the Famine is remembered as a tragedy, and in the estimations of many people, a preventable tragedy. And while the people of Boston certainly recognize the tragic nature of the Famine, it represents something more. The Famine resulted in a massive influx of Irish immigrants throughout New England and the Atlantic coast. In Boston, then, the Irish Famine immigrants are representative of a strong and proud heritage that helped to make Boston what it is today. Perhaps it is unsurprising that a Boston Famine memorial would depict such a tragic event in such a positive way – in the end, it was.

I have found the striking contrast between the Dublin and Boston Famine memorials to be quite thought provoking.

In what different ways has the Famine been commemorated around the world?
What are the formats of memorials? I have observed sculptures, abstract iron gates, murals, but what else?
Where are these memorials placed within landscapes (cityscapes as well)?
What feelings are these memorials intended to evoke?
And how are these material manifestations of memory linked to the experiences of the people who have built them?

My project will examine a wide variety of Famine memorials around the world in search of answers to some of these questions.

A central component of this project will be the investigation of the dedication of the Rhode Island Irish Famine Memorial in downtown Providence. Conveniently, this dedication ceremony will be taking place on Saturday, November 17, 2007. This will be a perfect opportunity for me to explore the interaction of place, memory and materiality with regard to the Famine on a first hand basis.

At present, I am still brainstorming about how I will deal with the event. So far, I am planning to create:

Audio recordings of speeches
Brief interviews with participants/viewers
Videotaping of the event with the hope to create a tour through the event so that it can be ‘experienced’ by those who were not able to experience the event in person.
Thorough photographing of the proceedings, participants, use of space, memorial, etc.
I am particularly interested in the interplay between space, materiality and memory.

I would certainly appreciate any suggestions with how I might treat this event!

In addition to the RI Famine Memorial dedication, I hope to locate as many images and discussions of famine memorials throughout the world in order to conduct a thorough analysis. As much of the data I intend to gather is visual in nature, and since the topic of the Famine is one that evokes great emotion and discussion, I would not be surprised if I created a wiki forum for this project in the end, regardless of any other final products.

A more detailed examination of this project can be found here.

The video component of this project can be found here.

Posted at Dec 11/2007 11:00PM:
keffie: Your video is really awesome. Fantastic work!

Posted at Dec 12/2007 02:46PM:
Clarissa J Ceglio: I liked how your video showed the ways in which people-thing interactions (with the path, with the monument, etc.) animate the space in different ways. The way your video layers together two points in time and interweaves them is also very evocative. I look forward to visiting the memorial now that i know about it.