London, 2007
What to do with a collection of 7,000 memories? How do you reconnect people with a beloved and historic building that is being opened after 2 years of construction?
London’s iconic Royal Festival Hall had its doors closed for two years for major refurbishment. It was inviting the public to celebrate the re-opening and wanted to let everyone know how significant their individual stories are to the fabric and history of the building.
This project tied together performances and activities across the historic 20 acre site, over thee days. Living Archive featured an archive of memories shared by an adoring public that captured their relationship with the building since it's original opening in the 1950's. Memories were printed on opening certificates which artists, performers, visitors, historic and political figures used to open every single space of the Festival Hall. A selection of memories were printed on inflated seating for the opening ceremony events. Visitors could keep their seats as a souvenir in order for the memory and the festivities to carry on long after. In the end, every space of the Festival Hall had an opening ceremony, 30,000 visitors came, every seat was given away, 500 memories were performed aloud, and 7,000 were preserved for the future in a permanent public archive.
A project by Melissa Mongiat and Kelsey Snook
