Process : Remembering Together FIFE

Purpose:

Remembering Together has commissioned artists/creatives in every one of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas to co-create Covid memorials (in the most open sense of the word) with people and their communities. This project is Scotland-wide, fully funded by the Scottish Government, and endeavours to honour the people we have lost, mark what has been lost and changed in our lives and preser

ve the best of what we have learned and created together during the Covid pandemic. rememberingtogether.scot

The plans for Fife:

My name is Katie Fowlie and I am the commissioned artist to cover the local authority of Fife. This is a project which involves engaging with communities across Fife to shape how we collectively commemorate and reflect on those we lost during the pandemic. Remembering Together seeks to co-create a memorial to remember loved ones, in a way which resonates with those living here in Fife. The end result has many possible forms and I'm keen to hear your views on what would be most appropriate and meaningful. Community action and the arts are two of the most important conduits for Scotland’s recovery from Covid-19. Through Remembering Together we all have an opportunity to combine these to great effect. In so doing we can reflect, connect, and make sense of all that has been gained, as well as all that has been lost. In so doing we will be better placed to look ahead to the future with a shared empathy, optimism and deeper sense of togetherness. I am seeking participants from a wide range of communities and groups in Fife to create camera obscuras to act as the conduit for recording their stories and experiences over the last two years, resulting in a collective of cameras made up of individual experiences. The carcass of each camera will provide a surface to explore experiences through a series of wide-ranging applications; producing honest, varied, open responses to the last two years. Each camera will become a safe space where stories can be told, voices heard, experiences shared and acknowledged. They will allow for anonymity, quiet or bold expressions, whilst underlining the strengths of coming together during the most challenging of times. The collection of cameras will then be gifted to Kirkcaldy Gallery to form part of their Archive on the pandemic. Information gathered during the engagement phase will enable the artist to respond to the ideas and experiences generated by participants across Fife into a meaningful, co-created Memorial by the end of 2023.