Paper short abstract:

This paper will describe the process of developing an urban archive, that exists as a tool for continued creative observation of the alleyways of District 4, HCMC, Vietnam. This archive is collaboratively developed between design academics and the Library at RMIT University Vietnam.

Paper long abstract:

Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam is undergoing period of rapid redevelopment, both economically and environmentally. This modernisation is bringing about not only physical changes but also cultural changes. One of the unique urban spaces under threat from change are the hems (alleyways). This paper outlines the process collecting audio visual material for the purposes of developing an archive of creative observation of the hems, in collaboration with the RMIT University Vietnam library. This collaborative development is unique opportunity to demonstrate the archive as a creative tool. Critically this archive records the built environment as a physical embodiment of the cultural practices of the District 4 hem inhabitants.

There were three key processes that informed the development of the project. The first was the specialisations of the participating academics and how they negotiated their own discrete practices in the project. Second is the collaborative development of the archive with the RMIT University library team. Third, is the development of exhibitions within the archive as a tool to present the material under relevant themes. With over a thousand audio visual items, collected and archived, production of new material will continue.

The aim is to make the archive central to the process of creative observation and production (Spieker. 2008) and one that is in a continual process of change and development, as well as continued content expansion and enrichment. These processes are expected to continue into the future as the hems change and new avenues of creative observation emerge ensuring the archive represents the hems future.

Paper short abstract:

Disaster and illness in the donated posters by Iran to the Red Cross Museum in Geneva as an international center is almost absence because the Iranian intelligence office has the task of filtering out anything that is believed to be used against the country and to ruin its face.

Paper long abstract:

One of archives of The International Red Cross Museum is poster archive in which major incidents and developments of humanitarian activities worldwide have been documented. However donated posters by Iran to this archive are completely different from other countries' ones because its posters are more relevant to unimportant meetings of Red Crescent Organization. Also, unlike other countries' efforts for showing visually human suffering in their poster, in Iran's archive, an absence of disasters is obvious. It is completely unexpected from a country like Iran which has so high level of natural disasters, war and illnesses that the Red Crescent has always been involved in. Therefore, this question arises: Why Iranian posters after the Islamic Revolution which have been sent to Red Cross Museum's archive do not portray incidents and disasters while many posters on natural disasters, illnesses and so on are produced within Iran by current government? Finally, by using ethnographic approach, the paper concludes that the Iranian Red Crescent Organization as the posters donator, has followed main policy of Islamic republic, based on preventing "tarnishing the image of Iran" that makes the "enemy" happy. According to this political view, the enemy takes advantage of even natural disasters and illnesses to challenge the Iranian government and its ideology. Hence, the intelligence office in the organization has attempted to protect the Islamic government's image as an ideal system without any problem in the international archive by ignoring the posters which are closer to the reality.

Paper short abstract:

I discuss how a digital archive documents and preserves the sacred Vodou arts of Haiti. I explore the consumption and deliberate use of Haitian Creole for exchange, challenges the biases inherent to more mainstream conversations about art/art in Haiti, and amplifies diverse Haitian voices.

Paper long abstract:

The Protecting Haitian Patrimony Initiative (PHPI) is comprised of international contributors who came together to assist Haiti with the preservation of Haitian cultural patrimony following the devastating 2010 earthquake. As a project of PHPI, and in partnership with the State University of Haiti, the Digital Library of the Caribbean, and Galerie Monnin, among others, the FIU Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center's Haitian Art Digital Archive (HADA) contributes to ongoing efforts to help preserve Haitian cultural patrimony, highlight the work of Haiti's prominent cultural leaders, scholars and artists, and promote free and open access to discussions about the Arts in Haiti. My paper discusses Haitian art and the evolution of HADA as a unique, multi-functional platform to document, present and help preserve Haiti's artistic culture. More specifically, I examine how HADA, with a particular focus on the sacred arts of Haiti and through the deliberate use of Haitian Creole, provides an alternative forum for knowledge exchange, challenges the biases inherent to more mainstream conversations about art/art in Haiti, and amplifies diverse Haitian voices that are often underrepresented or entirely absent from academic scholarship produced outside of Haiti. I also discuss consumption and commodification of Haitian art and those who produce it, and how HADA aims to support multiple forms of valuation of sacred arts and artists in Haiti. Finally, I present how HADA, as a democratic model for international, interdisciplinary and intercultural exchange, has been leveraged to successfully attract public and private funding and support to ensure sustainability.