Memento was created out of an interest in the topic of preserving cultural traditions and from my own experience of growing up between two cultures. As someone who is both Italian and Irish, I have often felt disconnected from parts of my cultural identity and I am also quite aware of how difficult it can be to access cultural knowledge when there is no one around to share it. My aims for this project were to create a platform that connected people across generations while preserving traditions and customs that risk being forgotten over time. I wanted to build a space where cultural knowledge could remain accessible to everyone, including those who may feel disconnected from their heritage or who do not have family and friends that can tell them more about their culture. To better understand the topic, I conducted both primary and secondary research. I started reading papers to understand how different cultures preserved their traditions, languages and practices. I was also interested in learning more about my target audience, so I conducted a survey to understand people’s opinions around this topic and the best way they’d engage with the act of documenting and preserving their culture. A key influence on the project was the work of Uri Hasson, an American neuroscientist whose research highlighted the power of emotive storytelling in creating meaningful connections. This led me to focus on oral storytelling as the primary method through which cultural knowledge would be shared and preserved on Memento. The decision to create a mobile app was informed by the survey findings, which revealed that accessibility and ease of use were essential to users. When designing the app I went through various stages of iteration. The initial stage of iteration was focused on wireframing, to establish content hierarchy and navigation, followed by the development of the visual identity through colour and photography, and then a final stage of refinements. The final version of the app is divided into four categories. On the home page, users can access curated traditions based on their interests and preferences. They can listen to recordings, read transcripts, and save content to favourites. The explore section allows users to browse traditions by culture or topic, or search for more specific content. Then there is the upload section, where users can contribute to the archive by uploading a recording of a tradition they know, or create their own collection. Finally, there is the collection section, where users can access favourites and collections they have saved, while also being able to access to profile settings. Memento ultimately strengthens connections between people, cultures, and generations, while creating a lasting digital archive where cultural traditions can be preserved and shared for years to come.
