Managing Collections and Archives

Poppy Jones-Little, BA Fine Art
'Managing Collections and Archives’ - Professional Practice Seminar with Chris Grygiel

Throughout my degree, my artistic practice has been focused upon ‘Lumps’ and ‘Lumphood’, and over these years I have accumulated masses of material from various discourses; my treatment of these documents varies, some I will read and annotate throughly whereas others I will pay a cursory glance. Regardless, to varying degrees, each of these works mention ‘lump’ and thus I have collated them. As it is my final year, I have began to question how I can utilise this ‘archive’ in different ways; in past years my research has become naturally embodied within my making, but how can the archive itself be considered the artwork?

I have often viewed archival exhibitions and questioned to what extent the documentation, notes, newspaper articles, photographs of work etc can be seen as a new iteration of the work itself. The careful arrangement, the collaging of material and the use of various displays produces an aesthetic which I sometimes find more interesting than the ‘actual’ art being documented. The insights from museum directors, curators and artists which help formulate the archival exhibition is intriguing; the layers of knowledge and intention, the mediating of experiences that once were, might be seen to transform ‘archive’ into ‘artwork’. From Mark Dion’s 1999 take on the ‘cabinet of curiosities’ to Fiona Connor’s use of the bulletin notice board, the questioning of traditional categorisations and display methods utilised by institutions is of great interest to me. It became clear through the talk with Chris that there are

very strict regulations, policies and practices that must be upheld when archiving; how might I play with these practices? When visiting a museum or gallery I find myself being infuriated by the glass of the vitrines; the harsh lighting often reflects off the glass, onto my glasses and makes it hard for me to see a thing! I completely understand that the glass protects the artefact from harm, and therefore serves a particular purpose. Yet, my own artwork does not need protecting, so what would happen if I presented my work within a cabinet, but removed the glass? What could be implied?

During the ‘Managing Collections and Archives’ - Professional Practice Seminar I noticed there was great talk of ‘usefulness’ - how to know when an archive is useful, how to determine what is and what is not ‘useful’ information within a collection, and how use-value is determined. This resonates strongly with my practice as ultimately ‘lumps’ are spoken of in relation to the ‘useless’, the refuge, the ‘lumpen’. Thus, it is peculiar to me that I have somehow produced an archive focused upon the ‘useless’, which feels entirely contradictory and, frankly, quite humorous.

The seminar has provided me with much food for thought and upon reflection, I can already see how the discussions have helped shape my ongoing studio work. Moreover, at a very basic level, I gained a greater understanding of the incredible collections housed within the University, and also a better understanding of how to navigate the University’s online archive.