The Audiovisual Memory Laboratory of Amazonas (TEIA)

A Place of Memory and Information

Abstract

This work aims to characterize the Audiovisual Memory Laboratory of Amazonas, TEIA, and its collection as a place of memory and information in Amazonas. TEIA is a multidisciplinary and multisectoral initiative, created in 2024 by the Popular Center for Audiovisual Communication (CPA), dedicated to understanding and preserving the cultural heritage of Amazonas through audiovisual tools. Based on the premise that memory is a collective asset, the laboratory uses audiovisual media as a tool for capturing, archival and historiographical recording, in addition to promoting democratic participation in defining the Amazonian cultural identity. Its main areas of activity include the preservation of collections, whether produced or donated, the recording of interviews, and the promotion of exchanges between artists and researchers, thus ensuring the continuity and appreciation of collaborative cultural production. The ongoing research, in terms of methodology, is qualitative, grounded in bibliographic research and the archival diagnosis of the archival collections held by TEIA. It is also based on the intersection between archival studies, audiovisual documents, and collective memory studies, according to authors such as Bellotto (2002), Edmondson (1998, 2017), Halbwachs (2024), and Nora (1993). Preliminarily, as partial results, TEIA's collection consists of audiovisual documents recorded on miniDV magnetic tapes, Betacam, DVD, and VHS, in their respective fonds: 334 documents from the Coletivo Difusão; 41 documents from the Sávio Collection; 51 documents from the Rider Collection; date range: 2005 to 2012. All collections present generic identifications that require diagnosis, identification, treatment, and archival organization. In general, the audiovisual documentation held by TEIA is divided into original productions, event recordings from other groups, interviews, and freelance productions. These productions range from recordings of plays and dance performances to activities of labor unions such as ADUA and Sinteam. Additionally, the collection holds a previously unreleased interview recorded in 2006 with the Amazonian writer and playwright Márcio Souza, author of the works Mad Maria, Galvez, Emperor of Acre, and History of the Amazon, who passed away in 2024. Therefore, it is essential to develop archival strategies that ensure its preservation, safeguarding access to the memories and narratives that make up the social and cultural networking of the region.