A Community-Centered Approach
At the heart of MONO is collaboration. We aim to create a digital space where the memories and experiences of current and former residents of mono -industrial towns are valued. We actively seek to collaborate with people from these communities across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. In addition, we invite curators, museums, libraries, archives, and cultural activists to join us in preserving, documenting and interpreting the industrial legacy of these towns to understand our present and future.
Unfortunately, not every mono-industrial town has a local museum, and many historical artifacts and narratives were lost in the turbulent 1990s. MONO aims to bridge that gap by providing a platform where communities can take charge of their own small-scale histories, free from top-down, single-read and grand narratives and state-sponsored heritage industry. By focusing on the lived experiences of residents, we hope to foster a dialogue that not only preserves the past but also helps these communities envision their present and future.