Memory, Edited

An exploration of historical memory and networks of meaning in the context of today's crises of extremism and polarization.

As authoritarianism continues to rise around the world, the stories we tell ourselves about what has happened and what is happening become ever more relevant. Through an interdisciplinary lens that includes the best thinking from history, the arts, cognitive science, psychology, and political philosophy, Rumsey lays bare our narratives, showing how they are constructed and how they have changed over time. Ever-aware of resisting the false promise of utopia, Rumsey argues that only by confronting the past and reckoning with the crimes that were committed can we ever hope to heal and gain self-knowledge. Memory, Edited is an indispensable text for anyone who cares about democracy, equality, and freedom in our current age of crisis.

WHEN WE ARE NO MORE HOW DIGITAL MEMORY WILL SHAPE OUR FUTURE

Our memory gives the human species a unique evolutionary advantage. Our stories, ideas, and innovations–in a word, our “culture”–can be recorded and passed on to future generations.

Our enduring culture and restless curiosity have enabled us to invent powerful information technologies that give us an invaluable perspective on our past and define our future.

Today, we stand at the very edge of a vast, uncharted digital landscape, where our collective memory is stored in ephemeral bits and bytes and lives in air-conditioned server rooms.

What sources will future generations turn to in 100–let alone 1,000 years–to understand our own time if all of our memory lives in digital codes that may no longer be decipherable?

COORDINATES MAPS AND ART EXPLORING SHARED TERRAIN

Exhibition catalogue
Emily Prince and David Rumsey, curators

Download the PDF here

Featuring 21 pairs of maps and contemporary art, Coordinates explores how both capture our world through imagery that neither represents terrain literally, stripped of symbology, nor in a one-to-one scale. As artifacts of memory, maps and art capture human consciousness in all its ambition, ambivalence, and imperfection. These pairings defy the limits we habitually place on maps and art.