Archiving social movement memories amidst autocratization: a case study of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement Visual Archive

Figures & data

Figure 1. The division plan of the occupied area in admiralty.

Figure 2. ‘Hong Kong tent’.

Figure 3. A staircase in the Harcourt Village.

Figure 4. The last night of the occupied area in admiralty.

Figure 5. The ‘Big Yellow Umbrella’.

Figure 6. The number of the UMVA active volunteers.

Figure 7. The conditions of the UMVA Collection.

Table 1. The records-risk nexus of the UMVA

Phase	Risk to the Archivists	How to Mitigate
The outbreak of the Umbrella Movement (Collection and capture of records)	Mistrust from the protesters	Establish rules, principles, and transparency
		Encourage interpersonal communication to build affective ties
	Physio-psychological stress	Give meaning to work and promote a sense of self-actualisation
Movement abeyance (Collection care, cataloguing, and access)	Physio-psychological stress	Improvision of DIY of methods to make jobs easier
	Financial risk	Crowdfunding and donation campaign
		Transfer of collection
Autocratization (Record transfer)	Extreme political and legal risk	Migrate the records to another country
	Fear and self-censorship

Table

	Date	Interviewee Remark
Interview A	2 July 2021	Founder
Interview B	13 July 2021	Founder, inactive in the project after 2015
Interview C	13 July 2021	Irregular volunteer (mainly design work), left during the Umbrella Movement
Interview D	15 July 2021	Irregular volunteer, left during the Umbrella Movement
Interview E	23 July 2021	Active volunteer, left before the archive transfer in 2017
Interview F	24 July 2021	Active volunteer, left before the DC election in 2015
Interview G	7 August 2021	Active volunteer, left for an exchange programme in Taiwan in 2015
Interview H	March 9, 2022	A librarian, worked for the university library

Table

	Quantity
Visual Image	309
Document	23
Document break-down
Booth design	1
Collection recommendation	1
Item check list (2016)	1
Leaflets	2
Meeting notes	3
Monthly volunteer schedule (2014)	3
Newspaper clipping list (up to 2015)	1
Recruitment materials	4
Rescue list	1
Sticker design	3
Working map	2
Startup kit	1

Table

Highest Categories	Categories	Codes (For example)
Risk	Mistrust from the protesters	Questioning about their purposes
		Physical confrontation
		Verbal confrontation
		Refusing to answer question
		Expressing grievances against the UMVA online
	Physio-psychological stress	Sense of powerlessness
		Overwork
		Full-time duties
		Frustration over the lack of progress
		Fear about political development
	Financial risk	Land rent
		Webpage expenses
		Maintenance expenses
	Political and legal risk	National security law
		Mass arrest
		Self-censorship from the institutions
Strategies	Team Management	Establish rules and principles
		Set up Telegram groups
		Bloc division
		Appoint team leaders
		Arrange meeting
	Public communication	Encourage chatting with the protesters
		Design badges
		Design stickers
		Set up booths
		Set up Facebook pages
	Self-development	Nurturing affective ties with the team
		Searching for meanings of work
		Developing friendship
		Quitting the project
	Collection management	DIY tools
		Locating permanent sites
	Finding income	Crowdfunding
		Booth donation
		Using own saving
	Record transfer	Transfer to professional institution
		Transfer to overseas institution
Political stage	Before Umbrella Movement
	During Umbrella Movement
	After Umbrella Movement
	During the Anti-ELAB Movement
	After the Anti-ELAB Movement
Actors	Founders
	Active volunteers
	Inactive volunteers
	Radical protesters
	Moderate protesters
	Government
	Professional institutions
	Exhibition space