Riverdale Video Top Ten
Rank the themes represented by the mock video shop VHS chart top ten from least to most important. Create your own ‘top ten’ chart of themes that you think should inform the redevelopment of the shopping centre.
Collecting the memories of Lewisham residents
In November 2022, a pop-up Memory Store was erected in Lewisham Shopping Centre for nine days.
The interactive installation was designed and operated by the In Living Memory delivery team and its aim was to gather stories of the town centre, prompting shoppers to share their memories of lost shops, amenities and events.
Riverdale
The stall recreated two lost retail spaces; a 70s record store and a 90s video shop named Riverdale Records / Riverdale Video respectively, after the original name for the shopping centre.
Both spaces featured era-specific concept media about lost shops and significant events. Facilitators engaged passersby with mock VHS boxes and 12″ record sleeves, inviting them to share a written memory or record an video on a 90s camcorder.
Local people shared their personal memories of the shopping centre play-area, gigs at the Odeon, the bridge to Army and Navy and the market, amongst many more.
Archive
Around 140 memories were collected across the project. These memories have been scanned and uploaded to the In Living Memory Digital Archive as a contribution to the people’s history of the borough.
