This interdisciplinary symposium explored the material of archive collections and their intersections of history and practice. This was an exciting day of presentations by a range of speakers, including a keynote by Sue Breakell from the Design Archives, Brighton.
There was an opportunity to view the Special Collections at London Metropolitan University, which include the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Library Collections, the Archive of the Irish in Britain, the Frederick Parker Collection and its attendant archive, including many artefacts from the Parker Knoll company as well as artists books.
The tangible nature of archives and the materiality both of and in the archive was the subject of this one-day symposium, which sought to explore the “object-ness” of the archive.
The symposium, held at the Special Collections at London Metropolitan University in Aldgate, reflected on the interdisciplinary material of archive collections and how different methodologies of research interpret and envision archives. Speakers also explored how creative practice could engage with and explore the tangibility of the archive.
Programme:
- 10.00am Start and Coffee
- 10.15 -10.30 Welcome from Symposium organisers
- 10.30 - 11.00 Keynote Presentation
Sue Breakell (and Wendy Russell), Archival materiality as connective tissue
- 11.00-11.45 Rethinking Objects in the Archive
David Dewing, Not just chairs, but vessels of history: searching the Frederick Parker Collection and Archive
Keren Protheroe, Contemporary relevance of 19th century manufacturer’s log books. Morris & Co paint collection, 2021
- 11.45-12.00 Tea and coffee break
- 12.00-13.00 Rethinking Archival Practices
Gavin Maitland, Im(Materiality) in the Archive: Things We Lost in the Fire
Ian Hicks, A Study into the Emotional Response to Handling Original Manuscripts
Ekua McMorris, Archives as inspiration: An Artist’s Delight in Encountering New Material.
- 13.00 -14.15 Lunch and Tours of Special Collections
- 14.15 -15.15 Bringing Practice to the Archive
Sophie Nield, The Archive Workshop: generating creative responses to tangible pasts
Donna Claypool, ARChive Stories – The Archive as Pattern, People and Place.
Emily Evans, The Tangible Archive as an illustration and animation tool
- 15.15-15.30 Tea and coffee break
- 15.30-16.15 Archives and Audiences
Ania Dabrowska, Agitated Archives: Site-Specificity and the Co-Symbiotic Relationship of Archives and Contemporary Curatorial / Art Practices.
Philip Milnes-Smith, O Brave New World: Decolonising, queering and beyond in archival practice at Shakespeare’s Globe
- 16.15-16.30 Closing remarks
Details
| Date/time | Thursday 7 December 2023 10am - 4:30pm |
|---|---|
| Book ticket | Event ended |
| Location |
Aldgate Campus The Wash Houses16 Goulston Street, Aldgate Campus, London, E1 7TP |
