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Im/Material: Encounters within the Creative Arts Archive

The Im/Material conference brings together artists, archivists, curators and academics to consider the role of the archive in the creation, interpretation and preservation of culture.

13 - 14 May 2016

Keynote Speakers

Car with the rooftop open and people wearing fancy costumes.
Archives Lost, Found, Re-assembled, Image courtesy of UAL

Archives Lost, Found, Re-assembled

Professor Charlotte Townsend-Gault's keynote will consider 2 very different Canadian archives

In the Darkroom – The Making of a Document - front
In the Darkroom – The Making of a Document - front, Image courtesy of UAL

In the Darkroom - The Making of a Document

For her keynote presentation Grace Weir will screen and discuss the making of her recent film ‘Darkroom’.

Conference Sessions

Old film photograph of a man holding an old camera in the middle of a protest
Archives & Transversal Memories, Image courtesy of UAL

Archives and Transversal Memories

Considering archives, creative exchange and the potential revolutions of digital culture.

Photograph of a building
Materialising the Archive, Image courtesy of UAL

Materialising the Archive

The archive as a medium for creative practice.

Photograph of a wooden arrow sign that reads 'Museum' in the middle of woods.
The Multiplicity Within, Image courtesy of UAL

The Multiplicity Within

How small museums have a unique capacity to critique and contest traditional notions of curating.

Photograph of disassembled fabric
Fleeting & Fragmentary, Image courtesy of UAL

Fleeting and Fragmentary

What curatorial strategies might we use to interpret things that have perished or are considered un-exhibitable?

Black and white photograph of pans
Remembrance of Things Past, Image courtesy of UAL

Remembrance of Things Past

How does an object function, not just as a ‘Proustian’ trigger to memory, but as a mechanism for a new understanding of the world?

Photograph of text and images printed out on paper
Formality & Informality, Image courtesy of UAL

Formality and Informality

What are the origins of a shift in curatorial thinking towards informality and intimacy within displays of modern and contemporary art?

Presentations

Photograph of various vintage kitchen utensils
Cataloguing the Camberwell I.L.E.A. Collection - second, Image courtesy of UAL

Cataloguing the Camberwell I.L.E.A. Collection

Reflections upon the objectives, methodology and discoveries of the development project in 2015.

Photograph of a film photograph of women working around a desk
From the PARC Archive, Image courtesy of UAL

From the PARC Archive

Camerawork and the Directory of British Photographic Collections from the John Wall Archive.

Photograph of a Manuscript book
Material Evidence on Manuscript Fragments, Image courtesy of UAL

Material Evidence on Manuscript Fragments

Presentation on 16th and 17th century medieval manuscripts.

Archives & Collections

Photograph of a small cow statue with a tag that reads 'I Payed Bob & Roberta Smith £4.99 for this?'
Object Handling Workshops, Image courtesy of UAL

Object Handling Workshops

Interact with the archives and special collections held by the UAL.

Photograph of a film screening, people wearing fancy dress costumes
Film Screening, Image courtesy of UAL

Film Screenings

Selection of films, some taken from the UAL archives, and some made by our staff.

Exhibit of a metallic flower
Image courtesy of UAL

Exhibitions

Drawing upon UAL’s archives and special collections. Curated by our postgraduate students.

Speakers

Professor Oriana Baddeley, Professor Stephen Bann CBE, Dr Sophie Berrebi, Dr Fiona Candlin, Robin Christian, Professor Judith Clark, Elena Crippa, Professor Neil Cummings, Adrian Glew, Dr Alison Green, Professor Amy De La Haye, Dr Jo Melvin, Dr Joanne Morra, Charlotte Moth, Jennifer Murray, Donald Smith, Professor Carolyn Steadman, Professor Carol Tulloch, Judy Willcocks, Jacqueline Winston-Silk.

View the conference programme.

UAL Archives and Collections

University of the Arts London (UAL) houses an extraordinary range of archives, museum and special collections that reflect the rich traditions and specialisms of the 6 colleges. They include 2 accredited spaces; a museum and an archives and special collections centre.

Find out more about UAL archives and collections.