ABSTRACT
The paper focuses on the creative process and its image, namely of immigrant citizens and descendants, in the context of community-based art and design projects. This dynamic archive, including photography and video, is part of an ongoing practice involving newly arrived and second-generation immigrants to Lisbon (Portugal) and Cedar Rapids (US). Based on the participant’s cultural heritage, the following practice aims to enhance the creative process as a vehicle for dialogue, build artistic objects, and develop social and cultural sustainability. The research mainly explores the methodology and methods of co-creative work developed with the participants, particularly on the expanded notion of archive and heterotopia. This approach is a way to interact with the citizens in question and give visibility to their different cultures, specifically through a living archive. In this context, these aspects are used as tools to promote a reflection about the cultural and social impact of immigrants and descendants and their interrelation with the new places.
