1999年9月21日臺灣發生大地震，一陣天搖地動之後，一批夾雜著災難印記的物件，有些進入了博物館的蒐藏體系、有些躍上了展示的舞臺、有些則被封存在各地文化中心的地下倉庫中或存放在廣大災區的各個角落，這些都成了某些群體或個人關於921災難記憶的一部分。文中除了說明921災後文化資產搶救行動的時空背景之外，也將問題焦注在下列問題：人們到底搶救了什麼？怎麼搶救？誰去搶救？人們如何解釋搶救意義？人們對於物質的留存有怎樣的期待？希望達成怎樣的目的？在揭露了當中的權力以及與消費體系的運作關係之後，論文將批判的重點指向搶救的是「誰的記憶」？最後就如何脫離層層箝制的可能性再做一些反省。

On September 21, 1999, an earthquake measuring more than seven on the Richter scale struck Taiwan. After this tragic event, objects associated with the 921 Earthquake were collected. Some of these objects became part of collections of museums or were selected for exhibition. Others were archived and kept in regional cultural center storage areas or by private households or institutions. All of these objects are part of the collective and individual memories of the event. This paper attempts to discuss the value of the collecting system, with focuses on the process of collecting and interpreting behaviors. It seeks to answer the following questions: What did people want to rescue from the earthquake? How did they rescue it? Who participated in the action? How do people interpret the meanings of the objects? What kinds of purposes do they seek? After revealing the relationships between power and the consumption system, this paper takes a critical view of the question of whose memories were rescued. Finally, the possibility of escaping from the limitations of the consumption system will be discussed.