2023/24 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

ARTF5052M Adventures in the Archive

30 creditsClass Size: 15

Module manager: Dr Robert Knifton
Email: R.H.Knifton@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2023/24

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

Adventures in the Archives is an interdisciplinary module that overlaps discourses such as photography & moving image, curatorial studies, historical studies, anthropology, critical studies, architecture, and cultural studies. We invite students from a range of disciplines, to consider ideas around the notions of archive, memory and history; and their relation to contemporary life today.

Objectives

On this module students will be asked to consider the notions of archive, memory and history, and their relation to contemporary life today.
They will be expected to explore in-depth the ways that the archive could be reflected on, investigated and disseminated through artistic, art historical, cultural, critical, museological and/or curatorial research.
They will be asked to experiment with various methods and initiatives that could make an archive accessible to a larger audience.
They will also be expected to evaluate and respond to the processes of digitalisation and its effect on archival material/ archival research.
In doing this they will be expected to rethink the relationship between individual and collective subjectivity i.e. how artists encounter an archive, how practitioners write about it, and the variety of forms that archival interventions use to restage their findings either visually or textually.

Learning outcomes
By the end of this module students will be able to:
1. Consider the notions of archive, memory and history; and their relation to contemporary life today.
2. Understand the ways that the archive can be reflected on, investigated and disseminated through artistic research by various activities (i.e. group seminars, fieldwork, reading groups and studio tutorials).
3. Envisage, experiment, evaluate and estimate various methods and initiatives that could make an archive accessible to a larger audience i.e. by planning or creating a new body of work in response to an archive, planning or curating an exhibition, or by planning different public programmes that could activate the archive (workshop, symposium and screenings).
4. Evaluate and respond to process of digitalisation and its effect on archival material/ archival research.
5. Rethink the relationship between individual and collective subjectivity i.e. how artists encounter an archive, how practitioners write about it, and the variety of forms that archival interventions use to restage their findings either visually or textually.

Syllabus

Students will critically explore a range of theories, exhibitions and artistic practices that respond to, intervene in or re-present the archive. Indicative topics include: archives/memory/history; archives and exhibitions; artistic responses; making archives accessible; digital archives; the future of the archive.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	10	1.00	10.00
Seminar	10	2.00	20.00
Private study hours			270.00
Total Contact hours			30.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			300.00

Private study

Students will be expected to spend time exploring a range of artists work, critical texts and curatorial projects in order to develop a contextual understanding of archival practice.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Formative feedback will take the form of an individual presentation and a written proposal for the final creative project.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	3,000 words	60.00
Project	Creative project	40.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 04/09/2023

Disclaimer

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• Undergraduate module catalogue
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