Power of shared reflection
While solo engagement allows for introspection, conversation introduces new perspectives.
What would it look like if students brought their own cultural knowledge into these spaces?
How might collective meaning-making shift our understanding of a collection?
Engaging with another’s perspective made the collection more meaningful, reminding me that knowledge is not just in the object, but in the dialogue it sparks.
Engaging with the library’s Latin American Collection
Unlike my experience with the Middle Eastern collection, the Latin American collection felt distant. I lacked the cultural knowledge to interpret the photographs, and without curatorial explanations, I struggled to find meaning. The emotional resonance I felt with Hafiz was absent here.
I questioned whether this was due to my unfamiliarity with the region or my own insecurities about interpreting photography.
Background shapes the way we engage with visual material
That changed when Chiara (Changemaker and friend) joined me. As we explored the collection together, she immediately connected with certain images. She pointed to a photograph of architecture, recalling how she used to take similar pictures as a child. The curved lines and structural patterns reminded her of home.
Her insights made me realise how deeply personal interpretation is.