Productive Archiving

How artists have devised creative solutions to the taxonomic constraints of the archive

This critical anthology addresses three often-overlooked issues facing archival organizations: the question of inclusion in or exclusion from the archive; the loss of individuality and specificity in the archive; the danger of homogenization; and the risk that archiving may foster a form of pigeonholing. Since the archive is a fundamental symbolic entity, on the basis of which we organize our lives, the past, the present and the future, these issues require exploration. Productive Archiving proposes that artistic treatments of (and interventions in) archives can offer innovative ways to foster new connections and ways of thinking and organizing. Authors include: Aleida Assmann, Annet Dekker, Lars Ebert, Sebastian Diaz Morales, Monika Huber, William Kentridge, Pablo Lerma, Inge Meijer, Santu Mofokeng, Merapi Obermayer, Walid Raad, Ana Paula Saab, Drew Sawyer, Carla Subrizi, Marjan Teeuwen, Daria Tuminas, Jeffrey Wallen. Visual essays by: Sebastian Diaz Morales, Monika Huber, William Kentridge, Pablo Lerma, Inge Meijer, Marjan Teeuwen and Santu Mofokeng.