November 2022
In November 2022, Mark Frost, co-PI Professor Edward Vickers, his graduate student Lasni Buddhibhashika, and in-country research consultants Hasini Hapunthanthri and Neluni Tillekeratne completed a highly successful 10-day collaborative fieldtrip.
Fieldwork, including site visits and oral history interviews, were conducted at heritage and memorial sites in Colombo and in the northern Jaffna region of Sri Lanka. Interviews were also conducted with policymakers and arts/heritage and memory activists and practitioners.
The itinerary included:
November 4th - 16th
Colombo and Jaffna
Participants: Edward, Lasni, Hasini, Mark, and Karu (Colombo and Jaffna), and Neluni (Colombo)
Colombo
5 - 6 November – Mark attended ICOMOS Sri Lanka conference ‘Fortifications and Military Heritage of Sri Lanka’
6 November – documented Devram Maha Viharaya Temple
7 November – interviews with artist Jagath Weerasinghe, tour of Slave Island with artist Firi Rahman
8 November – interview with Shamara Wettimuny, visit to Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and interview with Suren Raghavan, State Minister of Higher Education
9 November – tour and documentation of Colombo Museum with Sujeeva de Silva
Jaffna
10 November - documentation of war memorials
11 November – documentation of journey to Mullivaikal
12 November – interview with artist and academic T. Sanathanan at Jaffna University, documentation of memorials on campus, visit to Jaffna Library and to Jaffna Fort
13 November – interview with former Jaffna Province Chief Minister and current Sri Lankan MP C. V. Vigneswaran, visit to document art and history galleries at Fox Resort (former LTTE bunkers)
Colombo
15 November – project debrief meeting and documentation of the Independence Memorial Museum
