Mnemotope as a Safe Place: The Wind Phone in Japan

Abstract

There is a conceptual discrepancy between the expression "space of memory"and "place of memory."In a different realm, the same seems to happen with the terms "safe space"and "safe place."Coexisting but distinct worlds are explored in this article through the lens of the safe mnemotope: A place where memories have a fertile ground to settle and condense, where people find a safe dimension to externalize their inner emotions connected to the past. Based on a personal encounter with the Wind Phone in Japan, the article identifies some of the attributes that can make a place of memory a safe place, proposing them as initial guidelines to inspire the recognition and enhancement of realities that support the expression of complex feelings, providing a refuge where individuals can confront with their grief.