COMMUNITY-LED CULTURAL MAPPING 

GALLE, 2019

Documenting local culture & living heritage in the streets of Galle Fort    

1-weekend mapping workshop with local heritage NGO and 10 students in landscape architecture and archaeology. Together they identified key tangible and intangible heritage and oral history in the UNESCO listed heritage town of Galle on the Sri Lanka coast. Through a series of guided exercises the students identified the main narrative and key heritage assets of the town, both tangible and intangible.  

The students then worked with local copywriters and photographers to document the stories behind each of these historic buildings. The end product was a series of three oral history walking itineraries: architectural details, family histories and street stories. Published in smartphone application, illustrated map and one-week pop-up exhibition at the National Maritime Museum. 

Collaborative Partnership:

Funded by:

“iDiscover encourages visitors to make their own stories and tread their own path connecting them directly with the actual residents of a heritage site, making visiting a place more equitable”

– Channa Daswatte, Chairman Galle Heritage Foundation