Castle of Innocence

Castle of Innocence examines the power dynamics present in the construction of historical narratives and collective memory through the imaginative space of the Children's Museum of Costa Rica.

“Castle of Innocence” delves into the Children’s Museum of Costa Rica, an imaginative educational space for children featuring ludic scenarios; set against its historical backdrop as the former central prison.

Drawing from archival material of the prison era and diverse elements from the museum, the project challenges the influence of power structures in shaping historical narratives and questions the authenticity of photography as a truthful document.

Both the prison and the museum serve as institutions to encapsulate physical and symbolic representations of collective identities. The project intertwines these spaces in a nonlinear narrative, confronting the echoes of trauma and violence from the building’s prison history with the imaginative environments of the museum.

Due to the secretive and foreboding nature of the prison, gaps and missing information emerge, leading to a retelling where stories blend factual details and myths, blurring the boundaries between reality and fiction.

Similarly, the Children’s Museum employs storytelling and imagination to educate on various themes, including historical events such as the prison’s past through replicas of different prison cells.

These parallels prompt reflection on the complex interplay of tensions, repetitions, and contradictions in the dissemination of knowledge, history, cultural heritage, and collective memory.

Simultaneously, it offers an exploration of the liminal space between protection and control, particularly relevant in our contemporary post-truth era.