Pam Brown's Blog l emission - control. net

Constructing Memory in the Absence of History: Embodying Conflicting Narratives at Historic Brattonsville

The distinction between memory and history is subtle, often ephemeral, and rarely considered except at the moments when their invisible forms collide in material representation.  Conflict over representation is nothing new, but almost always seems to occur when collective memories come into contact, calling a present vision of the past into question in a way that makes obvious that it is the future that is somehow at stake.  No cultural form seems immune to questions about content and ideology, but museums seem particularly ripe for the picking.  Unlike films, novels, and artwork, for example, museums carry with them the expectation of historical accuracy, the belief that truthful representation of “reality” is possible.  As the postmodern realization that it is the present that contains both past and future has sunk in, claims on knowledge associated with museums have been called into question.  As Pierre Nora proposes, with the loss of history, we have only memory left.  This memory, like history, is collective in its nature, yet replaces tradition and ritual with representation in all its varied forms.  In this context, it seems only natural that conflicts over representation frequently have as subtext questions about power, ideology and group identity.  Further, it seems only natural that these conflicts tend to play out as struggles for control of and access to narratives.

Author Elizabeth Gilbert Discusses Redefining Creativity

If you've ever experienced a visit from a muse, when words drop, flowing freely on the page or screen in front of you, you know how enjoyable the creative experience can be.  On the other side, if you've ever experienced "writer's block", those long periods where the muse simply doesn't sing, you know that creative moments can be fleeting.  For most writers, this capriciousness naturally produces a sense of fear.  In the video TED talk below, the bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love discusses overcoming this dynamic in her own work by redefining creativity.

The Material Force of Story

Story is something that everybody knows.  It is intuitively understood, naturally communicated, and all around us.  From nursery rhymes to folktales to myths, from news to the novel, from culture to culture, and political campaign to brand, the power of story to create and challenge our perceptions about the world around us and our relationship to material and immaterial realms seems undeniable.  But how does story function?  What is the process by which story constructs “reality”?  Perhaps, because story itself is invisible, the content of story is more frequently examined than its function, operation and power.