Paper short abstract:

This paper is a reflection on ethnographic exhibitions as a way to communicate research with the public and to question and think about anthropological methodology.It depends on the analysis of an exhibition project on shared sacred spaces in the island of Cyprus.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is a reflection on ethnographic exhibitions as a way to communicate research with the public and to question and think about anthropological methodology. It depends on the analysis of an exhibition project on shared sacred spaces in the island of Cyprus. The exhibition focuses on the memories of past coexistence and conflict at shared sacred sites before and after the division of Cyprus in 1974. It features a variety of narratives, personal accounts, and visual material related to the sacred spaces, where Orthodox Christians and Muslims visit and assert claims. The exhibition is designed to stimulate a bi-communal dialogue on shared spaces and 'alternative' readings of the past. The project has become a venue for political activism by representing unheard, excluded voices in support of peace and reconciliation, and by fostering dialogue between the two ethnic communities. It is complemented by an interactive website, which was launched to promote the project and to provide a platform for exchanging ideas, memories, and photographs (https://www.rememberingforward.org). Through the collaboration with two artist-curators, the exhibition also created an opportunity to reconceive methodology to bridge the conceptual gaps between disciplinary approaches and between art and science. This paper asks the potentials of exhibitions to help communities explore different configurations of power dynamics, conflict, and relationships. It elaborates on the issues of the authority of anthropologist to represent the experiences and memories of people, and the potential benefits of interdisciplinary collaborations to communicate our research and prompt people to see the past and present in another light.