Material traces and affective resonance in disaster memory: Anchors of trust and negotiation of authenticity at the Wenchuan Earthquake Museum

This article examines how disaster memory is materially and affectively mediated in the Wenchuan Earthquake Museum. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, thick description of visitor interaction, and semi-structured interviews, it analyzes three signature installations—the Wall of Schoolbags, the Wall of Mothers, and the Bloodied Wedding Gown—to map a tripartite spectrum of authenticity: original artifacts, mediated reproductions, and artistic re-creation. Material traces as “anchors of trust,” grounding factual credibility while eliciting layered emotional resonance that moves viewers from shocked recognition to empathetic identification. Tracking the circulation of objects, images, and their digital afterlives, the study shows how curatorial practice reflects and navigates between official and vernacular forms of remembrance, rendering the museum a space where post-disaster trauma and civic identity coalesce. The findings extend debates on affective museology and offer a transferable framework for analyzing authenticity in emergent memorial spaces.