Topic outline

  • Living Archives

    Our contemporary world is bursting with information, and this is quite clear when artists and designers engage with digital (new) media tools: Every new installation, project, or writing implies an increment in the amount of digital matter that accrues in the studio, in the online repository, or in the machine. In this situation, among the questions that emerge are: How can I plan a strategy that allows me to keep all the elements of a work organized and well documented? How can I anticipate when the time comes to update a given work? What can we as artists and designers do to make our so-called “unstable media” a more grounded and persistent practice? Simultaneously how can we contribute to the ongoing debate on sustainability?

    The theme for this edition of the course is to explore the notion of Living Archives as a potential instrument and strategy that artists and designers can use as part of their practice to create new expressive artefacts. Students will be encouraged to develop their theme and way of thinking regarding the notion of Living Archive. At the same time, we hope to stimulate creativity and discussion by bringing in a selection of readings from literature about the Fantastic.


    Creating Living Archives

    Participants in the course will either develop their own archive based on a personal project that they are currently engaged in, or that they wish to develop, or they will select from an already existing source, such as an institution, like for example a business, a company, a festival, a museum and design a proposal for a Living Archive. The basic tasks involve concept design, collecting and describing data, documenting, and remediating processes and artifacts. Additionally, participants will be strongly encouraged to consider the possibility of recycling strategies aiming to reduce accumulation and promote sustainability. 

    Our vision of Living Archives is about places and spaces where primary and secondary information sources are collected with the aim to preserve (responsibility) and further use (sustainability) our work lowering societal costs. In this course we will focus on enabling students to begin creating their own personal Living Archive from their work so that it can become a living documentation and evidence of their activities as creative practitioners. Our approach will be information design oriented. Throughout the course will provide the students with tools that assist them to better organise and keep track of the production as well as their research work.


    Deliverables

    1. All of the templates must be completed and handed in by the end of the course. 
    2. Final presentation of work done.
    3. A short essay (2500 words maximum) that serves as an introduction and goes deeper into the rationale behind the Living Archive project completes the mandatory assignments


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