Archives Collections and Contemporary Art Practice
Telling Stories – Artists, Archives, and Contemporary Practice
Day: Thursdays
Dates: Thursday 8 October – Thursday 3 December (half term during the week commencing 26 October, so there will be no class on Thursday 29 October).
Time: 18:00 – 20:00
Tutor: Laura Wilson
Location: 124 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4DJ
Cost:£221 / Earlybird: 10% discount if booked by 31 August
COURSE OVERVIEW
What constitutes an archive or collection, who is to for? how is it accessed? What is included? Who is telling the story? How do artists work within these contexts? A practical and discursive short course exploring how artists engage with archives, sites and collections, and how curators and commissioners shape this work. Participants will encounter a range of archives, meet curators, archivists, and commissioners, and examine how artists develop work in response to archival material. Through visits, screenings, shared readings, and group discussion, students will consider what constitutes an archive, how it is accessed, and how artists contribute to or transform archival structures.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course introduces participants to the rich and varied ways artists work with archives and collections, asking what an archive is, who it is for, and how it can be accessed, interpreted, or reimagined. Across eight weeks, through lectures and study visits, students will be introduced to archival sites and artistic practices, developing an understanding of how archives function both as repositories for objects, materials and knowledge, and as generative material for contemporary art.
The course begins with an introduction to artist Laura Wilson’s practice, focusing on how she has developed artworks in response to archival research, institutional collections, specific sites and commissioning contexts. As a group, participants will explore how artists navigate relationships with curators and commissioners, how commissions are developed, and how archival material can shape or direct the production of new work.
Study visits including to the V&A Storehouse, the Women’s Art Library, and Matt’s Gallery, alongside conversations with curators and archivists will offer insight into commissioning processes, collection care and the role artists play in opening up archival narratives. The course will include screenings of artist films and group reading discussion sessions to support deeper reflection on archival theory, access, and ethics.
Throughout, students are encouraged to bring emerging ideas, questions, or project proposals to discuss with the wider group. The course aims to create a supportive environment for discussion, experimentation, and critical thinking, enabling participants to consider how archival materials – and the curatorial and commissioning structures around them – might inform or shape their own creative practice.
What is included: Note pad/ sketchbook, pencils/ pen for writing or making notes