Strata: The Art of remembering

Strata: The Art of Remembering is an initiative dedicated to the art of home archiving. The project focuses on educating participants on how to build, preserve, and share photographic, textual, audio, and video collections.

By participating in a series of workshops, attendees will gain the practical knowledge necessary to cultivate collections that document the lives of their loved ones and the local communities they call home. We place a special emphasis on researching regional and family heritage, which serves as the foundation for community, bonding, and a sense of belonging.

Mission
The goal of “Layers” is to sustain tradition and foster local patriotism within “small homelands.” The workshops cover a diverse range of archiving forms, including:

Photography: Digitizing and preserving visual history.

Oral History: Recording conversations and oral testimonies.

The Written Word: Managing journals, diaries, and personal notes.

Material Memory: Exploring the significance of heirlooms and physical objects left behind by ancestors.

Connecting Generations
The program serves as a comprehensive introduction to building home archives. It aims not only to awaken the need for documentation but also to encourage the sharing of these stories. “Layers” highlights the profound necessity of family conversations—sharing memories that serve as a primary source of knowledge for local history.

License Notice: Materials produced as part of this project are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution – ShareAlike 3.0 Poland (CC BY-SA 3.0 PL) license.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/pl/legalcode

WHERE: Workshops of Culture in Lublin

WHEN: Throughout the year

ADMISSION: Participation is free; registration is required.

schedule 2023

Strata: Workshop Schedule

September 23, 2023 | 11.00–14.00 The Family Photo Archive Lead: Anna Sidorska A deep dive into the visual layers of home, learning how to categorize and protect the images that define our family history.

September 30, 2023 | 11.00–14.00 Object as Memory Lead: Ewa Grochowska Exploring the “silent witnesses”—how heirlooms and everyday relics carry the stories of those who came before us.

October 14, 2023 | 11.00–14.00 Conversations (from) Memory Lead: Ewa Grochowska A workshop on the art of the interview: how to trigger deep recollections and listen for the stories hidden between the lines.

October 21, 2023 | 11.00–14.00 The Home Archivist Lead: Joanna Michałowska Practical systems for the domestic historian—how to organize, store, and describe your collections so they survive for the next century.

October 26, 2023 | 17.30–20.00 Archival Photography in the Digital World Lead: Specialist from the State Archives in Lublin A masterclass on moving your analog treasures into the digital age without losing their soul or their data.

November 4, 2023 | 10.00–16.00 Conversations (from) Memory: Part II Lead: Agnieszka Obszańska Advanced techniques in oral history and capturing the fleeting nature of spoken reminiscence.

November 18, 2023 | 11.00–15.00 Photograph – Image – Relation Lead: Agnieszka Pajączkowska Looking beyond the frame to understand the social and emotional bonds captured in a single snapshot.

Special Accompanying Event
November 19, 2023 | 16.00 “Opaque: Stories of Peasant Photography” An author talk with Agnieszka Pajączkowska regarding her latest book. The meeting will be followed by a short workshop on working with oral history through the lens of photography and rural archives.