Thinking of the key reading and above, how might curatorial practice activate ‘nonnormative time’?
McMahon (2023) argues that the curatorial practice is an innovative way of activating ‘non-normative time’ through techniques such as disorganised archives and participatory discursive history. It focuses on the work of filmmaker Onyeka Igwe, who uses archival material to challenge traditional narratives and time frames imposed by colonialism. Igwe’s films, such as No Dance, No Palaver, use experimental techniques that subvert linear time to rework colonial archival footage, to give voice to marginalised historical narratives, and to explore black feminist perspectives. This reconceptualisation not only questions historical accuracy, but also highlights alternative possibilities and suppressed stories, effectively using the archive as a site of contestation and potential transformation.
Research on Archives
Contemporary art plays an important role in the transformation of the contemporary archive and the archival framework. When analysing archives, it is important to note that the work of artists, even if involuntarily, has helped to shape the distinction between collection (the storage of documents) and archive (the organisation of documents). Contemporary art has had a significant impact on the transformation of modern archives and their shift towards a new way of creating and presenting documents (Titus i Soler, 2013).
In Glasgow Women’s Library, holds historical and contemporary artefacts and archive materials that celebrate women’s lives, histories and achievements.Feminist contemporary art is held in the Glasgow Women’s Library. The library’s online website documents an interview with the Guerrilla Girls, a new way of presenting documents.
Guerrilla Girls. Courtesy the Artists
References；
Brown, N. (2021). Art Night 2021: An interview with the Guerrilla Girls. [online] Glasgow Women’s Library. Available at: https://womenslibrary.org.uk/2021/06/11/art-night-2021-an-interview-with-the-guerrilla-girls/.
McMahon, L. (2023). Disordering archives: Onyeka Igwe and Black feminist speculative histories. Screen, 64(4), pp.377–400. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/screen/hjad036.
Titus i Soler, A. (2013) The influence of contemporary art on the modern notion of archive. DigitHVM revista digital d’humanitats. (15), 40-. doi:10.7238/d.v0i15.1790.
