C.15 IF WE LOSE OUR MEMORIES, WE LOSE OUR IDENTITIES
Psychiatrist and essayist Carlos Castilla del Pino has this to say: “It is our biography, our history that makes us individuals. But our history lies in our memory. We are all different because we each have our own memory. Alzheimer’s sufferers who lose their memory, forget their immediate past, no longer know what they have just done or experienced and end up unable to bring to mind their own names or those of their families or indeed anything that they have ever done or been, sadly cease to be the leading actors in their own lives”.
This thought can be extended to societies that no longer remember their past and allow the heritage that represents what they once were to slide into decay.
That is why one of the most important research lines in this project involves identifying the web of society in which Punta Begoña was set and collecting statements from those who formed part of it. In this task we have followed the protocols in the guidelines drawn up by UNESCO for the handling of tangible and intangible memories. This has enabled us to set up a Centre for Tangible and Intangible Memories associated with the Punta Begoña Galleries and their surroundings.
With the help of individuals with links to Punta Begoña, we have collected, sorted, catalogued and analysed a great many documents, pictures, recordings and conversations that make up a storyline that speaks to us about Getxo, Bizkaia and the Basque Country as a whole. This body of work provides support for our investigations, and indeed has opened up new directions that we had not previously considered.
If this tour has sparked any memories or reminded you of any pictures or information about the history of the site, however insignificant they may seem to you, please tell us about them. You will be helping us to refresh our collective memory.
Two women on the breakwater in Algorta with Punta Begoña in the background (undated). Source: San Nicolás Library
Researchers from the UNESCO Chair on Cultural Landscape and Heritage (UPV/EHU) recording statements from direct descendants of the Echevarrieta family and their employees, 2016. Source: Project for showcasing the Punta Begoña Galleries
The process of recording statements to build up the collective memory of Punta Begoña, 2017. Source: Project for showcasing the Punta Begoña Galleries