Students at CIFP Junípero Serra preserve the living memory of Mallorca with the Immersive Archive of Local Voices

PalmThe Immersive Archive of Local Voices educational project, promoted by the Image and Sound department of the Junípero Serra Integrated Vocational Training Center (CIFP), allows students to actively participate in the preservation, documentation, and dissemination of the oral and sound history of the region. The initiative seeks to "record the present before it becomes the past," combining technical training with ethical reflection and fieldwork. This week, the project brought together professionals from the museum and fishing sectors to reflect on the importance of conserving tangible and intangible heritage and documenting living memory in a context of social and environmental change. On Monday, the first round table discussion took place with the participation of Toni Vich, director of the Marratxí Clay Museum; Aina Ferrero, director of the Inca Footwear and Industry Museum; and technician and professor Biel Company. The session addressed the cataloging of collections, heritage custody, and the social role of local museums.

According to Aina Ferrero, "museums, and especially local ones, should have the direct participation of the residents, so they feel a sense of ownership." For his part, Toni Vich emphasized that "one of the most laborious and important tasks of the Museu del Fang is to recover and preserve the traditional methods of working, as few remain who can still explain them."

Traditional Fishing

This Thursday, the final roundtable discussion focused on the traditional fishing sector as a living cultural heritage, addressing topics such as the loss of oral history, climate change, and generational succession. Domingo Bonnin, president of the Balearic Federation of Fishermen's Guilds, emphasized that "the Balearic fishing fleet has unique characteristics that guarantee the sustainability of our fishing grounds thanks to collective effort" and lamented, at the same time, "the European regulations that harm our sector." Over several months, students participate in a comprehensive process that includes interview sessions, audiovisual recordings, material editing, and document cataloging, always with a pedagogical perspective that prioritizes active listening and respect for the interviewees. The project is a collaborative effort with CIFP Son Llebre, local museums, and the Sound and Image Archive, culminating in the creation of immersive digital experiences that allow the public to connect with the witnesses in a direct and engaging way.

The generated files will be provided to the Sound and Image Archive of the Consell de Mallorca and to collaborating entities, thus guaranteeing their preservation and future access. In this way, the Immersive Archive of Local Voices becomes a bridge between education, heritage, and community, and puts technical learning at the service of collective memory.