Recovering Memory

Recounts the history of mining through the testimonies and oral accounts of the protagonists.

“Recupero della Memoria” (Recovering Memory) is a multi-year project that recounts the history of Sardinian mining through the oral histories of those who played a key role. This audiovisual archive documents the work experiences, union struggles, daily and family life, the technical expertise of miners, sorters, managers, department heads, mining experts, and medical personnel. The individual voices intertwine to create a collective narrative that, from a unique perspective, reconstructs local, regional, and national historical events related to the world of mining.

In the background stand the homes of the people interviewed, the museums and the former mining sites scattered throughout the territory of the Historical and Environmental Geomining Park of Sardinia.

The project, born in 2008 as part of the multi-year Recovering Memory Plan, availed itself of the collaboration of the Department of Philosophy and Theories of Human Sciences of the University of Cagliari until July 2009. Subsequently, the project was further developed and is currently being carried out by staff at the Historical and Environmental Geomining Park of Sardinia.

The miners interviewed have been scouted out with the crucial support of associations, municipalities and residents of the mining towns. The interviews, filmed in locations chosen by the protagonists themselves, are digitized and post-produced. They become part of a digital memory archive, which the Park uses for the creation of documentaries, television programs, web and social content, and to enrich exhibitions, conferences, and seminars.

The “memories from the mine” thus become tools for studying, appreciating and sharing a world rich in history and meaning, accessible to the general public, to academic research, as to educational activities.