Decolonizing the Archives

Decolonising the Archives was a year-long fellowship/residency (2020 – 2021) commission by Decolonising Arts Institute, that responded to archives as an area of focus for decolonial activity. Taking an expanded notion of colonisation, the research followed a path towards the liberation of archival narratives, to unearth stories that had been silenced, yet produced in direct relation to primary materials.

During the residency, I explored the archive of the British Artists' Film and Video Study Collection, the Museum & Study Collection at Central Saint Martins, as well as the Archives and Special Collections at London College of Communications. This process resulted in selecting three films for research and analyses: Death Valley Days (1984), Handsworth Songs (1986) and I’m British But… (1989).

As it developed the research enabled conversations, writing, and artistic practice to illuminate diverse histories within archives, exploring how they can be effective to preserve and represent a collective memory. By focusing on notions of relationality and identity, the project resulted in the publication of the artist book: How to See the Unheard, funded by the Institute.

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