Heinrich Boell Foundation Yerevan Office-South Caucasus Region in cooperation with “NIDID”, launches a new multimedia memory project called “Visualizing Yerevan”. It will explore the complex urban memory landscape of the capital of Armenia under active participation of residents and the use of novel visualization methods.
Yerevan's integration into the world market has led to a push-back of state-public actors in urban development. In the course of the transformation process, there is a question which civic and socio-political instruments are available to leverage on urban development today. Meanwhile, the demolition of Firdusi Street and the looming threat of large-scale demolition of Kond District once again highlight the need to foster a critical and informed civic debate on questions of urban justice, social inclusion and the preservation of the city's diverse and multi-ethnic urban heritage.
The goal of the project is to forge a “fresh” perspective on the history of the city, instill curiosity among local residents for the multi-facetted past of their neighborhoods and to foster a critical discussion on the impact of present-day urban transformation on the historical legacy of the city. It will prompt participants to identify the most pressing urban challenges and reflect on different visions of an alternative future city – partially already ingrained in the material layers of the present-day city.
Through a variety of methods participants will study the peculiarities of Yerevan. Based on the materials compiled during the fieldwork they will develop maps including visuals and short auto-anthropological texts, as well as reflecting how participants experience the city and what they identify as the most pressing urban issues. The virtual maps will be published in the end of the project.
The project will last from 1 April 2021 to 15 December 2021.