The North East Network Archival Residency and Exhibition Project

Archival Findings
Archival Findings

Northeast Network’s work since their conception in 1995 addresses three primary sectors: Gender Discrimination and Violence Against Women; Governance and State Accountability; and Natural Resource Management & Livelihood. Employing artistic methods of translation, the idea is to transform the records of NEN’s work in new dimensions through artistic expressions and public interventions.

One of the objectives of the proposed project is to ideate, explore, and democratize historical narratives from the region that have been overlooked in the mainstream using tools of archiving. The project tries to treat such records as a part of the collective memory that forms and adds to a greater understanding of Northeast India.

The project has been awarded the Inlaks Take Off Grant 2021 and is supported by North East Network.The project is shaped as an Archival Residency and a Public Exhibition.

The residency/exhibition serves as the pilot project for a long-term series of research projects and interventions related to archives and public memory building in Northeast India.

_{This first iteration of the project with NEN opens up a much wider conversation about the history and legacy of women’s movement within the region spanning over more than the last 100 years.}

^{^{Archives which constitute a formal record made up of reports, official letters,
diary entries,
testimonials and
images encompass thousands of human expressions,
which holds the potential to unearth multiple dimensions.}}

_{The project tries to

treat such records as a part of the}
collective memory_{that forms and adds to a

greater understanding

of the Northeast of India.}

Residents Introductory Sessions

^{1. Akhu Chingbamgam}

^{3. Pranami Rajbangshi}

^{5. Rituparna}

^{2. Chingrimi Shimray}

^{4. Lapdiang A. Syiem}

^{6. Kumam Davidson Singh}

Pre-Residency Archival Conversations with NEN

^{Monisha Behal, Founder
of North East Network, addresses the Residency Group.}

35mm Slides from Ben B’s archives

^{Anurita P. Hazarika, State Coordinator from NEN Assam, provides a verbal illustration of NEN's work in sectors of Violence Against Women and Gender Discrimination in Assam.}

^{Joy Grace Syiem, Policy Lead Consultant from NEN Meghalaya expands on Violency Against Women and Governance and State Accountability sectors of NEN's work.}