About the Event
The opening celebration of the Collaborative Digital Heritage Studio (CoDHerS) at UBC was a meaningful gathering of faculty and graduate students, marking the beginning of an exciting new space dedicated to multimedia production, cultural preservation, and digital heritage storytelling. The event began at 12:00 pm in the Asian Centre Auditorium. Attendees were welcomed over lunch and refreshments, creating an atmosphere of community and collaboration. Conversations flowed as faculty and graduate students connected, setting the tone for an afternoon of exploration, learning, and celebration. Dr. Aynur Kadir opened the event with a short film screening, introducing the vision and mission of CoDHerS. She emphasized the studio’s role in supporting Indigenous and minoritized communities worldwide in documenting, preserving, and sharing their traditional knowledge, language, and cultural heritage. The premiere of two short documentaries, created by Dr. Kadir and Dr. Pasang Sherpa, captivated the audience, providing a glimpse into the studio space. Following the screenings, participants embarked on a guided walkthrough of the newly renovated CoDHerS space led by Dr. Colleen Laird. Attendees explored the state-of-the-art multimedia editing and production lab and the game lab. This event was a celebration of collaborative knowledge, cultural resilience, and the decolonization of digital technologies.
UBC’s New Digital Media Lab
The Collaborative Digital Heritage Studio (CoDHerS), led by Dr. Aynur Kadir and Dr. Colleen Laird, is a multimedia production, exhibition, and archiving studio that aims to support global Indigenous and minoritized communities in documenting, preserving, and sharing endangered traditional knowledge, language, and cultural heritage. CoDHerS is based in the Department of Asian Studies and the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies, located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking Musqueam people. The studio currently facilitates six research clusters that focus on advancing community-specific approaches to document, sustain, archive,
revitalize, and access community memories. Currently, we are collaborating with Indigenous and minority communities in British Columbia, Turkey, China, Taiwan, Japan, and the Himalayas. CoDHerS aims to address the unique needs and challenges in preserving and providing access to local and global cultural heritage by working directly with communities. By establishing connections and partnerships between international Indigenous communities and researchers at UBC, this studio seeks to uplift community knowledge and experience, decolonize digital technologies, and promote a more inclusive and respectful approach to preserving cultural heritage.
Opening Celebration Gallery
CoDHerS Space
