Recently, scents and sounds from Kirkbride Plan hospitals traveled across the Atlantic Ocean and into the Sensory Decay Symposium, an interdisciplinary conference about multisensorial, experimental archaeology hosted by the University of Amsterdam’s School of Heritage, Memory and Material Culture.  According to conference organizers Pamela Jordan and Sara Mura, the Symposium aimed to enrich our understanding

 Part One  The Costs of Forgetting When considering the futures of the 36 remaining Kirkbride Plan hospitals for the mentally ill, it may be tempting to argue that structures with such disturbing histories should be demolished “out of respect for the former patients.” On one level this reaction is understandable. Although awe-inspiring, these are buildings

Thoughts on “Treat, Release and Repeat”: Season 3, Episode 2 of VICE (Showtime) Directly or indirectly, each of us has experienced the toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the mental well-being of our families and loved ones, our friends, our students, our communities, and ourselves. The pandemic has exacerbated the numerous ills of an