Sameer Farooq /

Speculative Archives: An Index

Book
Hardcover, perfect bound, 8.5” x 11”
148pp.

Speculative Archives: An Index centers around the question: In our attempts to build comprehensive depositories of cultural memory, what gets lost in the capture? The publication discusses a collaborative practice of building “speculative archives” — setting the practice of archiving against the archive. In doing so, the display systems (including photography, film and writing) reveal countless ruptures, even blind spots, in the smooth surfaces of the archive: the invisibility of the archivist, the challenge of capturing ephemera, the inherent value bias in collecting, and the inexhaustibility of documenting a subject.

The publication includes a birds-eye view of recent archives as well as a comprehensive bibliography addressing archival-based and documentary-driven artistic practices. Additionally, there is an interview with dancer/choreographer Stephanie Turner meditating on Contact Improvisation and frameworks for incorporating multiple stories into single works.

Download a pdf of the book