“Floating Memories” and Operatic Research

By introducing the notion of “floating memory” the aim of this article is to review an artistic-scientific investigative device that I have made use of for almost a decade to explore the history and memories of slavery in Caribbean Colombia. The operatic journey is at once a tool, an object of inquiry, and a research itinerary. Over time, the resulting dynamic has turned the artwork into a means of “co-production” of some materials, and a method of investigation, somehow like a master overlay, and the research itself has taken on the appearance of an opera, with many productive twists and turns.