Randa Hadi 
رندة هادي


is a Kuwaiti designer, researcher, educator, and
informal archivist.

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(Re)Claiming Archives: A palace of memories for collective imagination 



استعادة الأرشيف: قصر للذاكرة الجماعية والأحلام العامة لتتذكرها وتتخيلها



During my time as an Against the Grain Fellow, I was able to research, write, and get support from the Futuress community to put together an article that critically examines the role of archives and how we might build them as a palace for collective memories and imagination especially as they relate to ones identity; weaving stories of home and oral storytelling practices my grandmother would share. 

Along with the written article, I produced a series of images that act as a break using my family archives and altering them to give privacy to my family members. Arabic and English text have been placed and altered to give a voice to the archives; asking critical questions about the existence of the self. Although I don’t have physical access to my family archives because geographically they’re in Kuwait, I’ve collected photos of the physical images with each visit I make back home.

Read the full article here ︎︎︎

2022
EDITORS
Nina Paim
Cherry Ann-Davis
Mio Kojima




Where can I find the stories? أين يمكنني أن أجدهم؟
Where do the stories exist? أين يتواجدون ؟
Where do I go for answers? أين يمكنني الحصول على أجوبة؟
Why am I not represented? لماذا لا يوجد من يمثلني؟
Where are my stories? أين القصص الخاصة بي؟أو أين حكاياتي؟.


Where do I belong? إلى أين أنتمي؟
What do I belong to? إلى ماذا أنتمي؟


remembering = past تذكر = ماضي
imagining = future تخيل = مستقبل
collective memory = community تواصل اجتماعي = الذاكرة الجماعية


access = knowledge التمكن من = المعرفة
knowledge = power المعرفة = قوةالجماعية