Audio-Visual Archive and Common Memory Space

ArchiveIST has been designed to put to life a permanent “common memory space/lieu de memoire” through the creation of a digital archive of analog audiovisual collections that allow a close look into Turkey’s social history over the last 50 years and beyond.

The ArchiveIST is thought of as the salvage of analog audio-visual records that provide documentary evidence and information, for cultural heritage projects and rights-based studies. It is also an attempt to make the material accessible on digital public domain to present and future national and international academic institutions, researchers, non-governmental organizations and individuals.

We are witnesses to the frailties in activities for the engendering of a common memory and its transfer between generations. We have started off for the building of ArchiveIST as a long-term project that aims to make the audio-visual records open access on the internet for the sake of cultural heritage and social memory.

The main objective of this proposal is to provide a new grounds and space for debate around rights-based work (human rights, intellectual property rights, cultural rights, right to city, freedom of speech etc.) in relation to intangible cultural and social heritage, through an audio-visual archive.