Photographic Archive Research Articles

Lost icons from the iconostas of the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Yelets Monastery (photo by Stephan Taranushenko)

The article publishes for the first time archival photos of the icons of the lost iconostasis of the 1670s of the Dormition Cathedral of the Yelets Monastery in Chernihiv, as well as a description of this iconostasis and related historical research, which was carried out in 1916 by the outstanding art critic Stephan Taranushenko, at that time a student of Kharkiv university. The exceptional value of the published materials is because S. Taranushenko was the last researcher who examined and described the monument in detail before its destruction in the 1920s. Currently, it is believed that all parts of the iconostasis and its icons have been destroyed, so the only source of information about their appearance is the photographs made by S. Taranushenko. In addition, the published materials contain information about the history of renovations and descriptions of the iconostasis of the 18th-19th century, which S. Taranushenko discovered in 1916 while working with archival documents stored in the Yelets Monastery. Since the fate of the monastery archives is unknown, the text of S. Taranushenko can be considered the only preserved source on the history of the iconostasis until the beginning of the 20th century.

From Model to Sitter

This paper focuses on historic anthropological photographs, meant to depict Indigenous individuals as generic models of colonial stereotypes, and examines their later reclamation as portraits. Applying an intention-based account of portraiture, we discuss the historical context and contemporary examples of the utilisation of these images in order to address several questions. What happens when the depicted persons in colonial imagery are treated and presented as sitters, rather than model specimens? Does this change the nature of the image? If a photograph was not originally intended as a portrait, can it come to function as such at a later stage? Regardless of whether they fulfill all the requirements necessary for portraiture, these colonial photographs represent a vital resource for the reclamation of Indigenous cultural heritage. As such, this paper serves as an introductory discussion into the complex issues surrounding the recategorisation, repatriation, and restitution of colonial photographic archives.

The Finitude of Endless Roads: On The Photo Archive of Zofia Rydet and The Helen Petrovsky Study

The paper is devoted to the research by H. Petrovsky “Desturbance of the Sign. Culture against Transcendence.” The article attempts a reconstruction of some important conceptual topoi of the book. The ideas of the book are presented through the material of one of the chapters — the photo archive of Zofia Rydet. The second part offers a conceptual variation of a different type, due to J.-M. Vappereau, which is related to the range of issues raised in the book.

Preface

The Palaeogene Skaergaard intrusion, East Greenland, has since its first description by Wager & Deer (1939) been a foremost natural laboratory for the study of low-pressure fractionation of basaltic melt. Ocean floors are composed of basalt and the processes that control compositions of basaltic melts are fundamental to the dynamics of the Earth. This special issue of GEUS Bulletin by Peter Thy, Christian Tegner and Charles E. Lesher is the most recent in a more than eighty year succession of trendsetting works on the evolution of the Skaergaard intrusion and evolution of basaltic melt. The early sample collections, housed in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, were used for the development of fractionation models, mapping of the distribution as well as the partition of major and trace elements between melts and liquidus phases in basaltic melts. These and many other studies resulted in the monumental “Layered Igneous Rocks”, edited by L.R. Wager and G.M. Brown (Wager & Brown 1968). By the 1970s, the original collection in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge had seen extensive use. The science developed and new and more detailed sampling was now required. Fieldwork and sampling in the later part of the 20th century led to a flurry of new studies by more research groups, including Neil Irvine of Carnegie’s Geophysical Laboratory and the University of Oregon group lead by Alex McBirney. Despite all the efforts, no consensus was reached on the many fundamental chemical and physical processes in basaltic magma chambers. The available collections did not provide sufficiently systematic and detailed information for the modelling of the evolution of the basaltic melt and the genesis of the precious metal deposit that had been discovered in the intrusion. Exploration drill cores offered the possibility for tight stratigraphic sampling through >1000 m of gabbro. In combination with surface sampling, a new standard profile with superior systematics could be established. In the summer of 2000, the Danish Lithosphere Centre (DLC) organised fieldwork and the transport of the drill cores to the Museum of Natural History in Copenhagen. This special issue is part of the legacy of the DLC and a fulfilment of the then envisaged potential of the Skaergaard intrusion for fundamental studies of processes in basaltic magma chambers. Thy et al. (2023, this volume) analyse and compile in unprecedented detail the variation in major and trace element compositions of bulk-rock samples and electron microprobe compositions of rock-forming minerals in the Layered Series on the floor of the intrusion. In addition, they include a wealth of information on all samples from the Skaergaard intrusion that are housed in museum, university and survey collections in Denmark, the UK and US, topographic and geological maps, aerial photographs in archives and images of thin sections used in the study. With all its data and appendices, the monograph is the most comprehensive collection of petrological information for the Skaergaard intrusion and the Layered Series on the floor of the intrusion, ever to have been made available for research. The detailed modelling presented re-evaluates petrogenetic constraints and tests petrogenetic models in the literature. The modelling is based on liquidus proportions established in experimental studies of appropriate melt compositions. Thy and co-authors conclude that evolution observed in the gabbros of the Layered Series is predominantly controlled by crystal fractionation of bulk liquid. Late in the evolution and above the boundary between Upper Zone a and b, the gabbros crystallised from ponded Fe-rich, immiscible melt. Redistribution of granophyric melts and decoupling of included and excluded trace elements, not only in bulk liquid but also in mush melts, complicates the modelling of trace element distributions in the late and evolved stages of crystallisation in the crystal mushes of the intrusion. This special issue is a treasure trove for all who study the intrusion and are searching for a data set to be matched with experimental and numeric modelling of low-pressure fractionation of basaltic melt. With this contribution, the Skaergaard intrusion continues to be a foremost natural laboratory for modelling of melts formed in solidifying basaltic magma chambers. Troels F.D. NielsenEmeritus, GEUS, Denmark

„Wyobrażam sobie albo pamiętam…”. Strategie narracyjne dokumentu historycznego na przykładzie filmu „Mała Zagłada” Natalii Korynckiej-Gruz

The article is an in-depth, contextual analysis of Natalia Koryncka-Gruz’s film A Minor Genocide. The author focuses on its narrative structure, in which the documentarian tried to reflect the nature of the work of memory and post-memory. The film is a documentary adaptation of Anna Janko’s (auto)biographical essay. The narrative complexity of the literary text is reflected in the film version, which takes the shape of a palimpsest. Its individual layers consist of verbal narratives from three generations of women, contemporary sequences, archival photographs and stylistically diverse animated sequences. The memory of traumatic experiences is superimposed on the idea of them. For the author, A Minor Genocide is an example of bringing Polish documentary film and literature closer together, as well as a new formula of a historical document.

Academicism in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Mural Painting the Late 19th and Early 21st Centuries

The purpose of the article is to introduce into scientific circulation, to attribute modern compositions of the academic mural painting in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, to study their genesis. The research methodology consists in the complex application of historical and cultural analysis, art study, diachronic ones, as well as empirical observation. The scientific novelty of the study. The materials of the survey and proposals for restoration (1998) the compositions of academic mural painting in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra of the late 19th – early 20th centuries have been introduced into scientific circulation. The academic mural painting in the Dormition Cathedral, the 21st century, has been introduced into scientific circulation. Its attribution has been performed. The names of the artists have been introduced into scientific circulation and it has been detailed who among them is the author of the project, who painted the holy images and who painted the ornaments. The dating of the compositions in different compartments of the Cathedral and the technique of their performance have been determined. The main thematic and plot lines have been revealed. The thematic, plot, iconographic, decorative, coloristic connections of the modern academic mural painting with the murals of the late 19th – early 20th centuries and with visual records have been studied. The similarities and differences of the academic compositions of 1897–1901 and 2018–2022 have been analysed. The principle of forming the colouring of modern academic murals has been revealed. Conclusions. In the modern decoration of the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the Academicism painting (1897–1901) is presented in the apse of the southern nave (diaconicon). In this compartment, authentic fragments of academic compositions have been restored, the painting system has been revived based on archival photos, and some new academic compositions have been introduced to it. Mural paintings have been performed by artists under the supervision of Oleksandr Pashkovskyi in 2018–2019. They also performed new murals in the academic tradition in the altar part of side-altar of the Saint Apostle Andrew the First Called in the southern part of choirs in 2020–2021. In the northern part of the choirs, paintings have been started and then suspended in 2022. In the new murals complex the artists cite in extenso or in part the compositions of the late 19th – early 20th centuries using archival photos. The murals have been performed in mixed techniques: holy images in oil, ornaments in acrylic paints. The composition ‘Glorification of Theotokos’ differs in the techniques; it is painted with oil on canvas. In the modern interpretation, the cited compositions can keep or change the primary location. The colouring of the new murals is formed on the basis of fragments of authentic compositions. A considerable part of the decoration is occupied by stylised ornaments as well as in murals of 1897–1901. The new and primary mural painting combine same academic principles of visual language, iconographic and colour principles, thematic and plot lines. Same general thematic lines are such as Theotokos theme, the theme of the Last Judgment, the Christianization of Ancient Rus, images of the saints of Ancient Rus and saints associated with the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
 Keywords: sacral culture, Orthodoxy, academic painting, mural painting, sacral painting, Ukrainian painting, Dormition Cathedral.

The Dynamics of Verbal and Non-Verbal Linguistic Communication in The Saudi Sports Community

The study aimed to identify and examine the paradigms of verbal and non-verbal communicative dynamics, encompassing the nuanced dimensions of body language, symbolic cues, and facial expressions between foreign and indigenous participants situated within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This analysis focuses on the theoretical of the constructs of linguistic competence and intercultural communicative competence. The salience of these theoretical underpinnings lies in their pivotal role in orchestrating the attainment of precise and effective communication within the purview of the concerned stakeholders. To galvanize this endeavor, an empirical data has been garnered through the process of direct surveillance and scrutiny. This repository encompasses a multifaceted, encompassing video recordings, photographic archives, and textual discourse exchanged among the participants. This analytical process is underpinned by the advanced computational tools of artificial intelligence. The results show that, for harmonious discourse, a universal lingua franca, exemplified by the likes of the English language, assumes the role of a linchpin, serving as the quintessential vehicle for fostering interaction and communication with the indigenous populace. Simultaneously, the strategic deployment of somatic expressions, and the emotional gesticulations emerge as potent catalysts, amplifying the efficacy of cross-cultural dialogues and igniting an enhanced rapport with foreign customs and traditions.

Fifth Squad Cadets of the Tenth Accelerated Wartime Graduation, Pavlovsk Military School, 1916

The turbulent first decades of the XX century resulted in the fact that modern Russians know very little about their ancestors, their social status, occupation, education, etc. Sometimes the only source for numerous genealogical questions can be obtained from unidentified and undated faded photographs. The author made an attempt to identify the Pavlovsk Military School cadets of the Fifth Squad, graduates of the Tenth Accelerated Wartime Course, by their graduation photo made in 1916. The Pavlovsk Military School was one of the most prestigious military education institutions in the Russian Empire. The article contains biographical information and images of cadets whose personality the author managed to identify. Most of them chose the military path guided by the realities of the Great War. These people became witnesses and participants of revolutions, wars, emigration, repressions, and World War II. The research relied on federal and regional archives. The identity of the cadets was confirmed by archival photographs. This research proved that students’ files can be an important historical source. The publication may help to find the descendants of the cadets, as well as to attract the attention of scholars and local historians, and encourage active citizens to provide additional information about their personalities.

Недетская наука: о некоторых фактах участия детей в раскопках Херсонеса Таврического

The sociological, psychological, ethnographical, demographical, sexological and other research of childhood is focused on the systematic study of various phenomena in the child population. The archaeological methodology is based mostly on natural science types of knowledge, therefore it has become possible to make some observations in the field of archaeological childhood in the meaning of “children in archaeology”. The fund of photographic documents from the scientific archive collection of the State Museum-Reserve “Tauric Chersonesos” includes documents on which children are present — these are family members of famous archaeologists, as well as unknown persons, who, however, were not accidental participants in the excavation process. The work carried out made it possible to date the images and, in certain cases, to identify some persons, including children. Not only the photo archive, but also other documents (mainly correspondence of archaeologists) has been studied, which contain other examples of the involvement of children in the study of Chersonesos.

Ghost Gardens: The Intersection Between Electronic Archives and Artistic Research

Drawing on the works of Jaques Derrida (1930–2004) – principally Archive Fever (1995) and Cinders (1987) – and Mark Fisher’s (1968–2017) Ghosts of My Life (2014) as interlocutors, I engage with concepts surrounding the electronic archive in artistic creation and research. I discuss my recent composition Ghost Gardens, a sixty-minute digital soundscape derived from the histories of Lascar sailors employed by the British East India Company during the 19th century, and current issues pertaining to climate change, habitat and species loss. I reflect upon the nature of the archive in a period of rapid environmental change, vanishing acoustic terrain and its preservation, through the lens of Ghost Gardens as a creative project which explores the intersection between sound, film, ecology and deconstruction in the digital domain. The creation of the soundscape has both utilised and generated digital film, audio and photographic archives, while the research process involved archival research pertaining to the East India Company. The sonic seascape forms part of a multi-layered, technologically enabled, interdisciplinary body of work; an ocean of sound that probes questions pertaining to the nature of recording and inscription of electronic documentation and retrieval.

Connecting the Dots

The Modern Movement encompasses a diverse collection of both iconic and ordinary treasures of architecture worldwide, among which some are safeguarded with respect to their values, while others were demolished, have undergone alterations, neglect, or lack of maintenance and preservation over time. Docomomo has been playing a pivotal role in documenting and safeguarding significant architectural works of the 20th century. Its National and Regional Working Parties (WPs), spread across the globe, have diligently compiled archives of photographs, drawings, historical records, and research materials related to Modern Movement architecture, town planning and landscape design. However, the decentralized nature of these archives poses challenges in terms of accessibility, coordination, and attaining a more comprehensive record of the Modern Movement with a global perspective. Therefore, this study undertakes the explorative task of compiling data from these separate online-available archives of the WPs to attain a broader overview of the documented objects of Modern Movement architecture on a global-scale. The collected data is analyzed to identify patterns, trends, and influential architects and to elaborate on the potential factors contributing to the current status. The study involves analysis of the predominant format of building use/function among documented architectural works, examination of the geographical and chronological coverage of available lists, and the distribution of intervention status within the inventory. These aspects provide valuable insights into the functional diversity, geographic spread, and preservation status of architectural works documented in the dispersed archives. This study also facilitates comparative studies between different regions and countries, shedding light on the shared characteristics and unique contributions of the Modern Movement across diverse cultural contexts. The results help identify trends, gaps, and areas of focus for future research and documentation efforts, ensuring the holistic appreciation of architectural works, and contributing to the scholarly understanding and preservation of this modern heritage.

Photo albums: deconstructing narratives of the self, migration, and movable memories

Photo albums, as personal and cultural material objects, are intertwined with ideas about identity and memory. At the same time, the importance of memory in how we shape and make sense of our place in the world that is enhanced through evocative objects such as personal photographic archives (ranging from traditional family albums, to selfies on mobile phones, and beyond) becomes more pronounced in the context of the Anthropocene era in which diverse and unequal global movability (e.g., displacement, border crossing, and migration) has become a defining feature of who we are. Connecting between anthropological studies of border-crossing and migration art, this project explores how in the absence of a photo album, alternative modes of visual archives tell the migrant stories of affective connections to family homeland the past and the present Focusing on specific examples from the burgeoning body of alternative visual artwork by contemporary migration artists in Europe and the US this paper examines how identity and otherness are entangled in an ongoing process of becoming and unraveling as sociocultural norms. Beginning with Appadurai’s observations on how migration of objects precipitates the experience of border crossing this paper looks at how migration art activism empowers modes of resistance to normative exclusionary discourses and current anti-migration practices.

Un racconto fotografico (parziale) degli allestimenti della Galleria degli Uffizi nel secondo dopoguerra

A selection of photographs of the Uffizi’s renewals and displays, taken mainly before and after World War II, represent the core of the visual essay. The images belong to four distinctive photographic documentations of the gallery, commissioned in order to record the exhibition designs each time they were dismantled and renewed. The photographs were shot by the photographers of the Gabinetto Fotografico delle Gallerie degli Uffizi (1904-on going). The ones reproduced here are held in the central photo archive of the former Direzione Generale Antichità e Belle Arti. Their documentary value lies in both the image and its recto, where information such as the inventory number of the photography was printed. Many other traces of their afterlife can be found in the many notes, dates and comments which proved to be strategic in dating, even “to the month”, the renewal of the spaces and the arrangement of the pictures. The images are ordered in three discursive sections that link the on-going renewal of the Galleria in these decades to the contemporary critical debate on museum arrangements.

The Budapest time machine

The paper presents the history of the development of the Budapest Time Machine (www.hungaricana.hu/en/budapest-time-machine), which started from the vision of the Venice Time Machine, despite the fact that it was never realised, but was the basis for the European Time Machine Initiative. The Budapest Time Machine was a visionary phenomenon from the moment of its debut, and it has maintained this position ever since: one of the flagships of the international Time Machine initiative from the very beginning. The development was launched by the Budapest City Archives in 2017. The background database of the Budapest Time Machine is the Hungarian public collection portal called Hungaricana, on which the Budapest City Archives continuously publishes a large amount of digitised archival sources (maps, blueprints, notarial deeds etc.). The interface of the Budapest Time Machine – whose first version was developed in 2017 provides digitized and georeferenced maps of Budapest, synchronized with each other using GPS coordinates, and vectorised historical maps of the city’s development in five different time sections (1837, 1872, 1908, 1916, 1938). The platform also allows browsing through historical documents related to the buildings, their owners or their former inhabitants: building plans, land registry inserts showing the owners, notarial deeds showing legal and administrative transactions of the period and the network of the inhabitants. Archival photographs and postcards are also easily searchable, either by address or by browsing the map. The Budapest Time Machine was completely renewed at the end of 2022. The advantage of the new version is that, unlike the previous version, it provides a single interface for accessing the data, and the maps can now be viewed in 3D. An important innovation is the publication of 3D historical reconstructions of some 30 buildings in cooperation with the University of Óbuda. The Budapest Time Machine is an example of collaboration between public collections and academic research, and we plan to include data created by NGOs in the future.

Spatial and hydrological analysis of the water supply system in as-Sila'/Sela (Tafila, Jordan) based on a 3D model

The research described below proposes a spatial analysis of the hydraulic infrastructure, and settlement remains, as well as a topographic analysis of the site of as-Sila'/Sela on the southern Transjordan plateau. The authors designed Sela's first photogrammetric model from aerial photographs provided by the "Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East (APAAME)" project. This modelling has enabled the research team to locate new hydraulic structures, settlement remains, marks on vertical facing, and elevated or levelling platforms hitherto unidentified by a pedestrian survey; it was also possible to obtain more detailed direct and indirect relationships between these features. The 3D model has provided a reference for locating the various elements and correlating their surface with the topographic coordinates recorded by the total station during fieldwork. Additionally, a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) was derived from the 3D model to depict the flow direction of run-off. Through our analysis, we identified spaces for accessing, managing, and utilising available water resources, including settlement density and flooding zones. The hydrological analysis revealed potential run-off and flood-prone areas, guiding the location of hydraulic structures to prevent water contamination. This study highlights the importance of Sela's water supply systems and the technical expertise of ancient communities in their construction and management. The applicability and feasibility of the applied methodology emphasise its use as a powerful and indispensable tool to obtain a complete overview of the site. The results yield a comprehensive site mapping with a broader scope than previous research and provide a basis for further research, as well as for understanding the site's water supply and settlement patterns. Thus, this study enhances the hydro-technological investigation of Sela's water management and culture and contributes to its holistic analysis. Future studies can use the data to propose effective water management strategies and shed light on the social structures involved in water supply practices.

Adoption and adaptation in Iñupiat fashion: Past and present

This article presents and discusses the development of Iñupiat (North Alaskan Inuit) fashion of atikłuk (‘inner garment’) and atigi (‘outerwear’) over time, with a focus on adoption and adaptation, linked to the concept of cultural authentication. It is based on the author’s fieldwork in the winter of 1997 and the summer of 1998, which included participant observations and interviews with seamstresses from the Iñupiat villages of Kaktovik and Utqiaġvik at the North Slope of Alaska, literature reviews, observations from museums and archival photos. The second part of this article involves a case study that focuses on a young Iñupiat trans woman and her mother in 2022. Together they designed a new fabric (instead of leather) for an atikłuk. The case show how she adopts the contemporary Iñupiat garment and adapts it to her own style.

Annotations as Knowledge Practices in Image Archives: Application of Linked Open Usable Data and Machine Learning

We reflect on some of the preliminary findings of the Participatory Knowledge Practices in Analogue and Digital Image Archives (PIA) research project around annotations of photographic archives from the Swiss Society for Folklore Studies (SSFS) as knowledge practices, the underlying technological decisions, and their impact. The aim is not only to seek more information but to find new approaches of understanding the way in which people’s memory relate to the collective, public form of archival memory and ultimately how users figure in and shape the digital archive. We provide a proof-of-concept workflow based on automatically generated annotations comprising 53,481 photos that were subjected to object detection using Faster R-CNN Inception ResNet V2. Of the detected objects, 184,609 have a detection score greater than 0.5, 123,529 have a score greater than 0.75, and 88,442 have a score greater than 0.9. A threshold of 0.75 was set for the dissemination of our annotations, compatible with the W3C Web Annotation Data Model (WADM) and embedded in our IIIF Manifests. In the near future, the workflow will be upgraded to allow for the co-existence of various, and occasionally conflicting, assertions made by both human and machine users. We believe that Linked Open Usable Data (LOUD) standards should be used to improve the sustainability of such an ecosystem and to foster collaboration between actors in cultural heritage.

Obscuring the Working Class

This article interrogates community photography through the prism of class in the context of Northern Ireland. It is based on findings of an ethnographic study of Northern Irish archives that hold Troubles-era photographs. Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of capital, the paper demonstrates how deeply entrenched ideas about class and artistic value shape access to archival photographs and information about their authorship. The author considers how one Northern Irish archive has taken an ambiguous approach to showing the work produced by these photographers in an effort to accrue social and economic capital in a difficult funding environment. While the work of working-class photographers is frequently exhibited, it is rarely shown without first being transformed through artistic interventions. As these photographs are appropriated into new artworks, the original image, and the authorship of working-class photographers, are obscured.

Processing Photograph Inactive Records of Library and Archives Agency of Ponorogo

Archives are vital in life. Even without us realizing it, every day we create archives in every activity. The Ponorogo Regency Library and Archives Service itself has archives of papers, photographs and sound recordings and the topic of research by researchers is inactive photo archives. The volume of inactive photo archives is quite a lot and has not been processed due to a lack of human resources. This research was conducted in March 2022. The research method used is a qualitative method with data collection techniques including literature studies, observations, and interviews. The analytical method used by researchers is qualitative. From the results of the discussion above, it can be concluded that there are 7 stages in processing inactive photo archives at the Ponorogo Regency Library and Archives Service. Processing supporting factors are 2 factors while processing inhibiting factors are 2 factors. Retrieval of inactive photo archives is carried out using description cards made in Microsoft Excel which have been printed to make archive retrieval easier.

An Analytical Approach to the Traces of Settlement of the City of Sakarya from Antiquity to the Present

According to the known history of the world, the first communities generally chose natural cave environments on the edges of sea, lake and stream for settlement and spread towards the interior of the land over time. These communities have learned to move to higher elevations in order to be protected from phenomena such as water rises and ground movements in the natural flow of the earth. It is an ironic situation that these natural phenomena that shape the earth are called disasters today. In this context, the aim of the study is to question Sakarya River, which was formed as a result of an earthquake action, and along this river, the settlement decisions of the cultures that established living spaces within the borders of the city of Sakarya by mapping them chronologically from the Paleolithic period to the present day with an analytical approach. Within the scope of the study, the effect of the earthquake phenomenon in the city, from the ancient times to the present, while the settlement decisions are taken, will be discussed and the effect of this information on the current settlement decisions of the city will be questioned. Types of analysis specific to the method developed within the scope of the study are; systematic literature review, epigraphic documents, aerial and archive photographs, maps. While reading the traces of settlement in the historical process, the study makes the structural constructs created by the cultures visible through the icons created within the scope of the study.