Folklore and Local Beliefs occupy a space between politics and religion, rooted in both collective and individual experiences. They are more humanistic and universal. Their non-canonical and supernatural qualities are preserved and perpetuated through local customs, oral histories, everyday practices, and cultural performances, continually generating new meanings. While they are not part of official history or institutional frameworks, they cannot be completely forgotten. Their vitality lies in ambiguity, self-rationality, self-explanation, and collective identity. Like Derrida’s “ghost of the present,” they belong neither to the past nor can they remain entirely in the past. They keep returning since they still exist.
This project investigates how heritage systems and authority reshape the values and aesthetics of folk beliefs and vernacular culture through visual, spatial, and practical approaches. Meanwhile, it undertakes fieldwork in selected communities to explore the survival logic and practices of folk beliefs and vernacular culture in contemporary society and their representation.