“Flickr.com is a Gathering of Memory” Insights from the Flickr Foundation’s First Conversation
Susan Mernit & George Oates
On September 26, 2024, we hosted our first-ever public conversation featuring director George Oates and advisors Anasuya Sengupta and Eliza Gregory. The event explored critical questions about preserving digital visual history in our rapidly evolving technological landscape.
The discussion centered on our purpose: to keep Flickr pictures visible for 100 years. We discussed the long list of technological uncertainties, with George quoting another Flickr Foundation advisor, Temi Odumosu, who said, “We don’t even know what a JPEG will be in ten years.”
Anasuya described social justice issues, emphasizing that digital preservation must address questions of power and representation. She stressed how important it is for marginalized communities to control their narratives , and how we must keep this in the front of our minds as we make tools..
The conversation touched on several key points:
- We must balance vast scale with meaningful personal engagement
- Using Flickr Commons to empowering communities to define their histories
- How we can support smaller cultural institutions in digital preservation efforts
- What community engagement brings to enriching digital archives
- Myriad curatorial challenges as we consider deciding what to preserve
→ Read the full transcript of the event
Preserving Our Visual Heritage: The Flickr Foundation was established in 2022 with the purpose to keep Flickr pictures visible for 100 years. As part of our work, we look after the Flickr Commons, a unique collection of historical photographs from cultural institutions all around the world.
To stay in touch, follow us on LinkedIn or sign up for our occasional newsletter (at the bottom of our home page).