There is something revolutionary in the idea of actively remembering and documenting ourselves, our communities, and our lived experiences. This "Archiving Ourselves" Workshop will explore notions of The Archive, what it is, who it's for and how we can creatively hijack it into rituals of self-historicising. Artist/academic/archivist Erin James will lead participants in a collaborative session of creative, decolonial and alternative archiving practices, from zine-making, collaging, creative writing, playlist-making and other formats. Participants are encouraged to come without expectations, and simply take joy from the act of making and remembering in community.

Held at Sussex Library, this workshop will intentionally navigate the tension between institutionalised formats of the archive compared to more personalised, accessible versions. As a group, we will decide where our own archival practices sit within this tension, and how we may reclaim the archive for ourselves, our communities and our remembrance.

This workshop is open to anyone within or external to the world of academia and/or art. Whether you've never heard of an archive, or engage with them regularly, we'd love to see you there. Let us come together as a community in a mindful moment of remembrance and creation.

If you'd like, participants are also welcome to bring in a piece of writing, a photo, collage or object to the workshop. These will be used as a prompt to engage with and imagine how to give voice and life to these pieces of personal history. If you don't have access to a printer but would like something printed off, just email it to ej317@sussex.ac.uk.

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Posted on behalf of: Faculty of Media, Arts and Humanities
Last updated: Thursday, 6 March 2025