The Representation of Memory: Activating Archives

This event was a reconvening of the Memories of the Future conference panel at Senate House (postponed from March 2019) entitled, Photography and the Archive: Activating Archives. The event examined photography beyond the aesthetic and opened up discussions around engaging with the photographic images as memetic devices, what Kuhn (2002) calls ‘Image-texts.’ Drawing from this perspective, the event looked at ways in which vernacular photographies inform and shape our understanding of the present, as well as the past. In so doing, questions were raised around the of value of archives in new temporalites. Presentations were given by FTN co-ordinator, Dr Nicky Bird, with Dr Karen Shepherdson (London College of Communication) and Dr Deborah Schultz (Regent's University, London). The morning panel was chaired by Caroline Molloy, Senior Lecturer in Photography, Coventry University. The afternoon session included short presentations by PhD students, Lucy Carolan (Newcastle University) and Patricia Hull (Regent’s University).