The Visual Archive

Critical Thinking and Making — Spring  2025

WEEK 3 | Archive ⇄ Visual Narrative

“Seeing per se means thinking about the world and this actually takes place on different levels at the same time,” says Wolfgang Tillmans in an interview for Fondation Beyeler.
     Reflecting on his artistic approach, Arthur Jafa has said that he’s “driven by an impulse to consolidate things that were there, but were dispersed.” (Triple Canopy)
     This week we will expand from one object to 7 images that tell a story. How important are order, sequence, and arrangement?

.


Reading & Watching


Making

  • Review your research document, notes on archives, twelve everyday objects & categories, and this week’s visual recordings of the object.
  • Identify emerging themes or topics.
  • Explore personal and institutional archives to find related visuals. Select 7 images, print them in 4×6 format, and bring them to the next class.
  • We will use them in class for a workshop—don’t select images you feel uncomfortable sharing.
  • Look at your images and come up with ten ways to give them an order. This can be based on content, form, or speculation. Write down each way of organizing as a one-line instruction and add them to the shared document “Archive ⇄ Visual Narrative” in our google drive.
  • OPTIONAL links:
    1. Smithsonian Institution Archives
    2. New York Public Library Digital Collection keyword search
    3. US National Archives and Records


Comments are closed.