Finding a Happy Place
Icecream architecture’s Rachael Kelly reflects on how communities have been sharing memories in North Ayrshire:
Remembering Together: Co-creating Covid Community Memorials is a project delivered by Greenspace Scotland in 32 local authorities to acknowledge moments of reflection on the pandemic. The project is halfway through phase 1 of community consultation in North Ayrshire. So far, the team at icecream architecture have delivered four memory-sharing workshops, two drop-in sessions, three guided walks and are collecting responses from the online open-source mapofmemories.com to understand what the communities of North Ayrshire want for their covid community memorial.
We are truly touched by the stories that have been shared and want to thank anyone who shared them. We want to continue collecting your memories, thoughts, and ideas about the pandemic and your experiences so that we can gather as much information for the project brief as possible.
A memorial, in the traditional sense, is a structure or statue, but we want to acknowledge that it might look completely different to commemorate the community of North Ayrshire’s covid experience.
We asked people what, for them, was worth remembering, where was their happy place, and what a memorial could look like. We used sensory activities to understand how colours, sounds, and places evoke different feelings. We are now working on developing a brief based on the responses to these questions.
So many people have already shared their stories with us on the map of memories. You can read them on the site and add your story publicly or privately here - mapofmemories.com. You can also find project updates for phase 1 on the site.
We have asked people to tell us what theme relates most to their story;
Loss, Coping Strategies, Isolation, Community, Support, Hobbies, Online Connectivity, Joy, Courage, Discoveries, Frustration, and Change
• 100% of respondents said they felt Isolation
• 80% of the respondents said they felt Coping Strategies
• 60% of the respondents said they felt both Support and Community
If you would like to call and discuss your experience over the phone, you can get in touch with Rachael at 0141 548 1170 or email Rachael@icecreamarchitecture.com