Overview of the project
Enforested Memory Map is a multidisciplinary, inclusive, community-based initiative where want to focus on the impact of human actions, in particular historical events and human interventions, on the Białowieza Forest, as a space of coexistence and network of relationships between the human and non-human world. By saying that, we aim to amplify and highlight the agency and existence of Białowieza Forest and research the collective memory of historical and contemporary events carried by communities inhabiting the forest. Particularly, we aim to examine the impact of totalitarian and oppressive ideologies/policies, focusing on the period starting with the German occupation and their control in the region during World War II (WWII) until the current times and the crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border. We want to pay special attention to the topics such as uprootedness, forced displacement, discrimination, and annihilation that human and non-human actors suffered from the German aggression as well as a result of contemporary, discrimination-based, radical policies implemented in the forest.
The project took place in the Podlasie region (Białowieza Forest) between March and December 2023.
It was divided into sections of work/engagement:
1. research/collecting data on the forest migratory history/displacements of human and nonhuman actors
2. workshops/panel talks/lectures - we organized open group meetings, inviting local scientists, researchers, historians, and cultural practitioners to public dialogue and sharing perspectives and expertise on forest history as well as the current environmental and political situation.
3. performative pieces and audiobook
performance/działania performatywne
panel discussions/panele dyskusyjne
spacery leśne/forest walks
collaboration/współpraca
workshops/lectures/wykłady
