(Mis)Archiving the Archive

Abstract

Abstract (MIS)ARCHIVE is an ongoing project to question and explore the potential of archives, collections, and museums as meaningful artistic and pedagogical spaces. Sometimes it appears that institutions like archives are perceived as being mundane and innocuous, resulting in them being overlooked. Those who do pay attention to them seem to offer two conflicting narratives regarding archives: on the one hand, they are seen as public places where objective truths and collective histories can be found, while on the other hand, they are considered exclusive spaces that are used to shape a view of the past that reflects position and power. The lack of questioning and attention given to spaces like archives is one way that injustices and inequities can be perpetuated over time. The author, an artist and educator, takes up the topic of the archive through a series of artistic and pedagogical gestures. Centering on the actions of (mis)interpretation, (mis)representation, and (mis)use, the author provokes others to engage with archives as sites of knowledge and learning, to question and examine the practices of collecting and preserving, and consider what these sites offer educationally, artistically, and politically.