Zainab Sikander & Deanna Ridzuan

ridzuandeanna@gmail.com

& zainabsikander04@gmail.com

Eating the Archive 

Eating the Archive examines the absence of cultural archives for diasporic communities and their efforts to reconnect with histories that have been lost or never fully preserved. This project stems from our own research, which revealed that film, media, and cultural materials from formerly colonised are often poorly preserved or missing from official archives. This gap raised questions about existing archives and how people connect with their histories without them.  
 
The film follows two filmmakers searching for archival materials, only to encounter limitations in institutional records. As their search remains unresolved, the narrative shifts toward alternative forms of remembering. Food and recipes become key practices through which cultural memory is maintained and shared. In the final sequence, a young woman cooks and eats, turning her body into a living archive shaped by sensory experience.   
 
Ultimately, the film challenges the authority of official archives and highlights how diasporic communities reclaim identity through embodied, everyday cultural practices.