About the Project
“Echoes of Memory” emerges as a living archive, a space where memory is not simply preserved but activated, where stories embedded in a Ugandan beaded tapestry resonate beyond their material form. This project engages with the tapestry as more than an artifact—it is a site of ongoing dialogue, a convergence of histories, voices, and interpretations that refuse to be confined to the past. Echoes of Memory challenges conventional understandings of archival work by weaving together digital media, community collaboration, and multimodal storytelling. It resists the notion that memory is fixed, instead embracing it as a dynamic process that unfolds through interaction, reflection, and reinterpretation.
The collaborative project is shaped through reciprocal engagement with documentarians from Northern Uganda, particularly Kacel Pi Nippo, and the Transformative Memory Network. Together, we are co-creating a digital space where the tapestry is not just displayed but experienced—where its textures, sounds, and narratives are brought into conversation with new audiences. The web platform will serve as an interactive site that layers audio-visual storytelling, oral histories, and embodied memory, ensuring that the knowledge and histories woven into the tapestry are not only archived but actively witnessed and engaged with. Through a process of shared curation, the project is shaped by the people who hold these stories.
Goals & Vision
Collaborate with Kacel Pi Neppo documentarians to create a digital space that integrates the tapestry’s stories, documentaries, and creation journey.
Allow viewers to not only see the tapestry but also experience the unfolding stories through audio, video, and other interactive elements such as text, and song.
Showcase the full journey of the tapestry, including its making process, interviews, and the narratives woven into each thread, all within a unified digital space.
The Beaded Tapestry
The beaded tapestry was created by the Women’s Advocacy Network (WAN) in Northern Uganda as a way to document and share their experiences of the war. Made through a collective process, the tapestry serves as both a historical record and a form of storytelling, ensuring that these memories are passed on to future generations. Each bead was handmade by the women, starting from long strips of paper that were cut, rolled into different shapes and sizes, washed, varnished, and dried. Once ready, the beads were carefully sewn onto fabric using thread and needle, a process that required patience, skill, and collaboration. As they worked together, the women reflected on their past and engaged in conversations about their experiences, making the act of creating the tapestry as meaningful as the final piece itself. The tapestry visually represents collective memory, with different sections depicting key moments, places, and personal histories. It is now housed at UBC’s campus as part of a larger initiative to preserve and engage with memory work. Through its digital version, the tapestry is now accessible beyond its physical space, allowing people to explore its details interactively and engage with the stories embedded within it.
Interactive Web Platform (Demo)
Step 1: Introduction to the Tapestry
The user enters the platform and is greeted with a digital representation of the beaded tapestry alongside introductory text explaining the project. The landing page gives a historical background of the tapestry created by the Women’s Advocacy Network in Uganda, introducing the story of the woman.
Step 2: Navigating the Digital Tapestry
After the introduction, users enter the main interactive display, where the digitized beaded tapestry is presented in high resolution. This allows them to witness the beadwork and explore its many layers of storytelling. The tapestry includes hotspots, placed at key locations that hold multimedia.
Step 3: Clicking on a Hotspot
Each hotspot is clickable, zooming into multimedia content that expands on the meaning of that section of the tapestry. These hotspots are curated to ensure that they align with the narratives woven into the artwork, allowing users to engage with oral histories, archival footage, soundscapes, and songs.
Step 4: Witnessing Stories
A media panel appears, presenting a carefully curated selection of text, audio, and video that bring the story to life. These materials have been collaboratively collected by documentarians, Kacel Pi Neppo in Northern Uganda to showcase the stories of the tapestry.
