Why build a photo archive?
Through the TCC Photo Archive we hope that our stories emerge from within, filling in the gaps that continue to dominate the narratives on the people, places and communities that make up the region of Sikkim and Darjeeling Hills. We seek to rebuild our stories, lost in the distorted narratives defining our existence and identities,, constantly reducing us to the margins with our stories only being told and written from the ‘outside’.
Our purpose is to engage with the local community to keep our tradition and essence of storytelling alive, after-all ‘guff’ lies in the heart of the Pahari way of life, and also where we find the rich repositories of our history, culture, tradition and collective existence. We wish to preserve this history captured in photographs and the conversations that arise from them.
The photographs that we collect will be digitised, catalogued and preserved. They will be made accessible for academic, institutional and independent research and practitioners of the region.
Please find details about contribution here
For access please write to us with a brief description of your interest in the archive at mail@theconfluencecollective.com
Support us
The TCC Photo Archive is growing each day as we work towards our objective of re-telling the stories of the communities that make up Sikkim and Darjeeling Hills.
Our hope is to build a more representative and inclusive history of our people and places from within.
We’ve received generous contributions of family albums and continue to do so. While our archive expands, so does our efforts to scan, digitise and catalogue thousands of photographs while simultaneously developing plans on creating public engagements around the archive.
We’re a small team and all of us are voluntary members of the collective -all in it because of our unflinching belief in the work we’re doing.
We, therefore, need your support in helping us sustain and persist with our archival project.
These photographs tell your stories as much as they do ours.
You can support our archival project through a donation amount of your choice. Your patronage will go a long way in helping us realise this collective dream.
You can reach us at:
mail@theconfluececollective.com