Open 7 (No) memory

Does collective memory still have the potential to act as a socially cohesive force in todays pluriform society? Is the contemporary monument still useful for collective commemoration? How can cultural heritage be made accessible without turning city and countryside into a museum and resisting new developments? What is the impact of the media and digital storage techniques on the social and historic process of remembrance? What is the role of art in all this?

Leading authors answer these and other questions which are the theme of the cahier Open 7. Memory(less). Rudi Laermans writes about post-historic memory in the public domain. Frank van Vree discusses the role of modern media in remembrance. Wolfgang Ernst philosophizes about the meaning of the contemporary archive. Jorinde Seijdel looks into the hidden photo archive of Bill Gates. Sven Lütticken writes about mass media as an apparent consigner to oblivion. Geert Lovink interviews Tjebbe van Tijen, an artist and social archivist. The meaning of cultural heritage for the configuration of the landscape is examined by Cor Wagenaar, and Paul Meurs focuses on the memory of the city. This cahier also includes contributions by artists, designers and theorists who address memory in actual projects, for example Jouke Kleerebezem. The essays and project texts are interspersed with autonomous contributions in text and image by Hans Aarsman, Joke Robaard, Arnoud Holleman, Barbara Visser, Nico Dockx and Nico Bick.