Material metaphors: notes on researching histories of British film & video

Claire M. Holdsworth

Material metaphors: notes on researching histories of British film & video

Claire M. Holdsworth

Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review

Abstract

Drawing upon research into British artists‘ moving image of the 1970s and 1980s, this talk discussed how experimental film and video works often critique history by depicting archival material - still photos, documents, clips - using documentary formats to reveal counter-histories. Exploring the difficulties of writing about this subject matter, concerned as it is with 'medium specific‘ dialogues that focus upon technologies (such as the materiality of film-strips or unique aesthetic qualities of recording and watching early video) this 20-minute presentation explored 'remediation‘ and the archive, referring to the work of artist Elizabeth Price. As a researcher concerned with sound as well as image, the paper considered how experimental moving image often traverses fact, fiction and multi-sensory representation by using 'the archive‘ as content and subject matter. Through discussion of my own experiences researching in archival collections, it reflected upon the tensions underlying research that traces, charts and maps ephemeral contexts of performance, recorded audio-visual material and how these narratives are translated by the mediums - whether written or technological - through which they reach us today.

Original language	English
Publication status	Published - 16 Jun 2017
Event	Multiplicities of Writing and Archival Research - Cambridge, U.K. Duration: 16 Jun 2017 → 16 Jun 2017

Conference

Conference	Multiplicities of Writing and Archival Research
Period	16/06/17 → 16/06/17

Bibliographical note

Impact: Organised by Niamh Moore (University of Edinburgh), Andrea Salter (University of Cambridge), Liz Stanley (University of Edinburgh) and Maria Tamboukou (University of East London), this conference was the last of three organised around the book The Archive Project (Routledge, 2016), which rethinks the 'archival turn‘ in ways that avoid re-mythologising to instead put 'the trace' (conference 1, Edinburgh, January), the power of the metaphorical (conference 2, London, March) and the multiplicities of writing (conference 3, Cambridge, June).

Organising Body: The Archive Project

Keywords

Art and design

Cite this

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title = "Material metaphors: notes on researching histories of British film \& video",

abstract = "Drawing upon research into British artists{\textquoteleft} moving image of the 1970s and 1980s, this talk discussed how experimental film and video works often critique history by depicting archival material - still photos, documents, clips - using documentary formats to reveal counter-histories. Exploring the difficulties of writing about this subject matter, concerned as it is with 'medium specific{\textquoteleft} dialogues that focus upon technologies (such as the materiality of film-strips or unique aesthetic qualities of recording and watching early video) this 20-minute presentation explored 'remediation{\textquoteleft} and the archive, referring to the work of artist Elizabeth Price. As a researcher concerned with sound as well as image, the paper considered how experimental moving image often traverses fact, fiction and multi-sensory representation by using 'the archive{\textquoteleft} as content and subject matter. Through discussion of my own experiences researching in archival collections, it reflected upon the tensions underlying research that traces, charts and maps ephemeral contexts of performance, recorded audio-visual material and how these narratives are translated by the mediums - whether written or technological - through which they reach us today.",

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note = "Impact: Organised by Niamh Moore (University of Edinburgh), Andrea Salter (University of Cambridge), Liz Stanley (University of Edinburgh) and Maria Tamboukou (University of East London), this conference was the last of three organised around the book The Archive Project (Routledge, 2016), which rethinks the 'archival turn{\textquoteleft} in ways that avoid re-mythologising to instead put 'the trace' (conference 1, Edinburgh, January), the power of the metaphorical (conference 2, London, March) and the multiplicities of writing (conference 3, Cambridge, June). Organising Body: The Archive Project; Multiplicities of Writing and Archival Research ; Conference date: 16-06-2017 Through 16-06-2017",

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N2 - Drawing upon research into British artists‘ moving image of the 1970s and 1980s, this talk discussed how experimental film and video works often critique history by depicting archival material - still photos, documents, clips - using documentary formats to reveal counter-histories. Exploring the difficulties of writing about this subject matter, concerned as it is with 'medium specific‘ dialogues that focus upon technologies (such as the materiality of film-strips or unique aesthetic qualities of recording and watching early video) this 20-minute presentation explored 'remediation‘ and the archive, referring to the work of artist Elizabeth Price. As a researcher concerned with sound as well as image, the paper considered how experimental moving image often traverses fact, fiction and multi-sensory representation by using 'the archive‘ as content and subject matter. Through discussion of my own experiences researching in archival collections, it reflected upon the tensions underlying research that traces, charts and maps ephemeral contexts of performance, recorded audio-visual material and how these narratives are translated by the mediums - whether written or technological - through which they reach us today.

AB - Drawing upon research into British artists‘ moving image of the 1970s and 1980s, this talk discussed how experimental film and video works often critique history by depicting archival material - still photos, documents, clips - using documentary formats to reveal counter-histories. Exploring the difficulties of writing about this subject matter, concerned as it is with 'medium specific‘ dialogues that focus upon technologies (such as the materiality of film-strips or unique aesthetic qualities of recording and watching early video) this 20-minute presentation explored 'remediation‘ and the archive, referring to the work of artist Elizabeth Price. As a researcher concerned with sound as well as image, the paper considered how experimental moving image often traverses fact, fiction and multi-sensory representation by using 'the archive‘ as content and subject matter. Through discussion of my own experiences researching in archival collections, it reflected upon the tensions underlying research that traces, charts and maps ephemeral contexts of performance, recorded audio-visual material and how these narratives are translated by the mediums - whether written or technological - through which they reach us today.

KW - Art and design

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M3 - Paper

Y2 - 16 June 2017 through 16 June 2017

ER -

Material metaphors: notes on researching histories of British film & video

Abstract

Conference

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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Cite this