Participants: Anne, Cathrine, Hans Skovholt, Stig Tommy, Kristin Tarnes, Pernille, Ingvild, Nomeda, Gediminas, Thorbjorn gathered at the in a library KIT, Trondheim where the display featuring workshop process was installed. Jorge Blasco Gallardo connected live via SKYPE from Barcelona.
Gediminas made short introduction to the archive cultures project, archives as notion discussed during Documenta11, relationship with the city and working with local material;
Nomeda introduced her point on the role of archives in the artistic practice.
Jorge explained the invitation that came from school to discuss notion of the archive as site specific project and how it was analyzed during the workshop. The aim of the workshop was to involve participants into the given frame (archive cultures projects) to discover statements from the artist, from the authors, collectors, makers of displays, makers of those who organize the information. As the archives are very complex way of working with information artist through their practice have developed different ways to decontextualized them.
In that sense this workshop was not open as it was set in a framework of archive cultures project, in this field of archive cultures project using this kind of specific statement and language.
after this introduction participants started to discuss:
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INGVILD: to me it was a new method of artistic working. As at the beginning it was not clear what was the intention and what we gonna do then i relaxed, I was open and started to understand, which was a very good thing. I used to work with handicraft things and was interested to let these ideas go. I realized in the workshop that my work has certain aspect of archiving.
PERNILLE: the part of the concept that we had to go to archives in Trondheim was nice experience. I got nice ideas, was nice to see Trondheim from different point of view.
On the other hand it was not a very new experience, cause I worked a lot in photography. But it was nice to get inspirations from these archives, environments as well as inspiration for making reference room.
KRISTIN: for me it was really interesting visiting the archives and to discover maps!!!! I could get an idea how to formulate questions for my desk project. I am used to work in discovery way, when i do not know how the project will end. So I could relate my method to this workshop.
STIG TOMMY: For me it was new to discover places in my hometown, I can use in my future work. It was nice to see how you work in relation to the group and people in those (archive) places.
HANS: I was not sure what to expect. I had some material in development, but I did not find the way to display it in this workshop and how to work further with it. It needs more time… There was a lack of time. I wish I had more time to prepare for this kind of workshop. On the other hand I spend much time for making layouts and working on promotion of the display exhibition, than on my own production.
PERNILLE: it was special for Hans to take it as his work. Hans had two tasks in fact!
Jorge was asked to give short summary on the work of participants:
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JORGE ON INGVILD: I enjoyed very much that you were confused, that workshop provoked insecurity. This was exactly a good starting point! From this we can discuss it further and start working as an artist. Cause if artists want to discuss they have to be lost, and this state of being lost gave me a lot of energy to start the workshop. I am happy and proud of you and me, that you employed your background as journalist and discovered the roots of archivist. It’s not easy to find people that want to be lost for one week.
JORGE ON PERNILLE: it was important for me that you were working for this company Umbrella and that you were working on different projects in collaboration. The way you took over the room fits with concepts and the way archive cultures project functions. Working with labels you as an artist were able to detect the behavior of archives and appropriate the aesthetics in the reference room. For me it was very important experience as collaboration with Umbrella.
JORGE ON KRISTIN: you are very open person, so it’s very easy to collaborate with you, you are very easy to discuss what to do with that desk, that women object… not only to play the role of the teacher and pupil, but also discuss the problems as an artists. You can find very good points for your F.A.M.union and desk in the archives. What you were doing it was mental maps and it would be very helpful for you to look at how people described the world in other centuries. It fits to the idea what you describe as your personal situation as an artist looking for a place in other people belongings.
JORGE ON STIG TOMMY: I am very surprised that you discovered positive aspects and I am happy for your future project.
JORGE ON HANS: we had meeting about homeless artist and his personal archive you trying to deconstruct, but it obviously needs more time. I hope workshop was useful for the future of this project. So that was OK, that you decided NOT to contribute with this work. “Commission” or rather task for the workshop to manage and organize the reference room, which included whatever what they need for marketing of the project.
Somehow I have a feeling that you make a distance when you speak about your contribution as an artist and or as a collaborator, who made a design for instance.
My frustration is that I did not manage to make Hans to understand, that it is an artistic agenda, and it makes sense in the artistic development. It is not good to work with this distance.
HANS: I was part of the discussion and I thought the commission to design was interesting to do. In a way I put some effort into it… Yeah, I thought how to develop it…
In a way it was part of the workshop… I do not see as strong division as it was discussed here.
PERNILLE: we all were busy when Hans worked with posters. I was disappointed that you Jorge did not say anything what was going wrong until it was ready.
JORGE: Since you – Umbrella commissioned Hans, I though it was too late for me saying anything. Anyway it was a deal between Hans and Umbrella. I did not have an opportunity to discuss. No time or choice for conceptual discussion. It was too late for this kind of discussions.
NOMEDA: it means that we have to find time to follow the process, to meet and discuss and make planning. It’s a new process and we have to leave space to discuss things in the process.
PERNILLE: maybe it is lack of time or lack of set appointments for discussions.
JORGE: we are discussing about the artistic pieces developed during the week. We had enough of communication or enough of appointments. I do not believe, that making hard planning is only the way.
INGVILD: we are working in a physical building within this reality and we are not aware, that we are interrupting library work. We realized that we live in a small society and we have to take this learning. But I would like to stress the use of pictures in the website now. We have to agree on the use, before the publishing it on the web.
NOMEDA: Jorge, participants have right to ask how this content of the workshop will be distributed and represented.
KRISTIN: we have to know what pictures are for the archive and if you put them on the internet. And on what conditions.
JORGE: it was important to visit the archives and get development of the process going, that would make reading how the picture galleries are build of archives cultures.
Now there are new galleries on this project and it was said, that this workshop works within the framework of the archive cultures project.
NOMEDA: but nevertheless the usage of the images should be discussed.
STIG TOMMY: I did not checked the archive cultures website yet. For me it’s not clear how these images will be used. I know that pictures are always abused and it’s not safe to be on the internet. I have to object my participation if I am a part of the ARA.
PERNILLE: I will talk about the reference room. We got inspired by the people that inspired mental boxes, where line goes between collecting and archiving and even becomes mania. The walls chart relationships between different things, it looks like a system but it’s not. It is inspired by the film “A beautiful mind”.
KRISTIN: I found a desk and in a drawer I found belongings of a one women and suddenly all the questions came up to me. I decided that project would be about the questions. I made a poster and those questions people can vote, what I should do with the desk. So this is a model for a web work.
JORGE: For me this is exactly the model for collaboration! It was a good idea not to develop too much for this time. I have an offer from Kristin to use archive cultures web to make these kind of pools and questions. To make another kind of step that would further your development on the different level.
about interview with Lian:
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Stig Tommy: For me it was interesting that you saw this potential between three of us (Ingvild, Kristin and me) to engage with collaborative project and go to visit Lian. It made me more laid back I would say.
GU: is it any possibility to continue?
Stig Tommy: I have another project as priority now. I like Lian, but now it feels I have to put this project a side to get distance, as it feels I do not want to work with this material at the moment
Kristin: Myself, I do not see possibility working together in collaboration within this project.
Jorge: It would be very important to have the film and your questions at the archive cultures project.
about ARA used for the sign system:
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Hans: the ARA as a title was suggested by Ingvild.
I kind of liked it, as it sounded like if its ARA doing archiving and inviting people to see the archive workshop display. It sounded not boring, but exciting, so we could hope to get people to see it.
Stig Tommy: if I would known it was a joke, then… now it’s funny, I do not think it’s serious
Nomeda: So, maybe this disorder in a library could be considered
as conceptual thing arranged by ARA – archives revolutionary army, not by you? So then it’s OK with librarian?
Pernille: I agree that it is conceptual gesture.
Jorge: I admit I did not provoke discussion on poster and my joke on ARA – archives revolutionary army was understood in a literal way. So I have to be provocative even more in a future. BTW I liked Hans intervention, the warning tape around the door to give an alarm or sign for an emergency in a middle of organized library. It gives a sense to the room.
Nomeda: this discussion once again proves the necessity to discuss while we are all in the process of making.
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