At Home in the Archive (2019)
“At Home in the Archive” appeared in Queering the Collection (Be Oakley, Christopher Clary, Patricia Silva, Emily Dunne, editors), a book published by GenderFail and International Center of Photography in March 2019.
“Archives will not queer themselves. It requires our work, the work of artists and independent archivists and publishers who have an agenda of agitation and messy sense-making. We must actively refuse to accept traditional timelines at face value, and work to amplify marginalized material that has otherwise gone unnoticed, or erased. When confronting an archive (or any presentation of cultural material, for that matter), it’s irresponsible not to ask urgent questions like: What is this content’s relation to power? Who has been excluded? Who else should be included here in order to better understand the material at hand? Once engaged, this queer archive work can actively change the shape of history, giving it dimension and depth and greater representation for all who were involved. The questions posed by editors Be Oakley, Emily Dunne, Patricia Silva, and Christopher Clary in the context of “Queering the Collection” at the International Center of Photography are a direct challenge to other institutions, especially those who have quietly left their collections unattended. It’s a manifesto in the guise of a guide, an agenda that should be required reading at any place that claims to preserve and provide access to human culture.”