Activities and Entertainment at Heart Mountain Relocation Center Photographs project is a collection of white and black photographs. The photographs in this collection show all kinds of entertainment activities and people daily life in Japan during 1942 to 1943 which included art performances, games, working field, and social activities as well. Information of title, producing years, and contributing institutions are provided when you click to see the photos.
However, this is still a developing collection. In order to have a better or deeper understanding of these photographs, more historical information, and other information need to be added in the description of the photos. The information as follows will really help us to “read” photographs in this collection:
Brief Description: describe what were they doing during what time of the day, and even what color of clothes they were wearing.
Background History: explains why these sort of things or clothes were popular during that time. What were originals of these events? How did they develop? And how these influence their life now?
Comparison:
- Compare with other Asian cultures and find similarities and differences. This is a good way to make connections within Asian cultures, and it makes more fun for viewers to explore more Asian cultures.
- Compare with Japanese modern entertainment activities and see how culture diagram shifted. It is interesting to know how modern life related to the way people lived in the past.
Meanwhile, if possible, interviewing elders who have actual experiences and other young Japanese to see how they comment these activities differently.
Local news, related articles, culture history books, questionnaires, and professionals in the field of Asian cultures will be very helpful of filling those gaps. Furthermore, those professionals could provide potential research direction and give us more references.
I like the suggestions you give in order to have a deeper understanding of the photos within the Heart Mountain Relocation Center Collection! I especially agree with comparing the Japanese lifestyle with other Asian ethnicities. It would be interesting to see how much the cultures differ or share similar qualities. Interviewing elders who have actual experiences may also lead to them sharing the actual articles of clothing or toys they used during those times. Overall, great critic that I think would add value to the collection.