The value of archives

Abstract

I write from three perspectives: those of a designer with a thirst for truth and authenticity; a researcher with a zeal for the type of brown box files found in archives and an educator who wants to facilitate good practice among design students and instil the importance of primary research into practice. In each of these areas of my professional and pedagogic life, the value of archives cannot be underestimated and underpins and validates all that I do. In our postgraduate design programmes at University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Epsom, Surrey, we use archival research as an important introduction to exploratory practice, part of the initial Research and Methods units. Archival research is essential in reinforcing the relevance of primary and secondary research techniques to students, encouraging integrity and understanding to facilitate good practice. Having first-hand experience of archival collections can also act as a trigger for further investigation and lead on to richer and more informed creative impetuses for design projects. Nothing can replicate the experience of being able to actually handle unique items of historical significance; and there are few better inspirational starting points for design students than the opportunity to contextualize, discover and construct personal viewpoints and narratives.