Congratulations to Aga Wielocha, our postdoctoral fellow, on her new article “Instilling Liveliness: Archives of Neo-Avant-Garde Art as Sites of Activation”, recently published by the Journal Institute of Conservation. In this article, she explores the concept of activation in relation to the archive, with a specific focus on Ecart, an artistic collective active in the 1970s based in Switzerland with ties to the Fluxus network. You can find her full article here and the abstract below. Congrats again, Aga!
Abstract
Artists’ archives, typically a legacy trove rather than a site for public engagement, are not expected to encompass art. However, since the mid-twentieth century, factors like the ‘dematerialisation of art’, defiance against conventional art categorisations, and the prioritisation of the creative process over its outcomes, have all blurred the lines between artworks and their documentation. Consequently, a significant portion of art produced during the 1960s and 1970s still resides in archives, distributed in art objects and documents. By examining the archives of Ecart, an artistic collective that operated within the broader Fluxus network in 1970s Switzerland, this study proposes activation as an alternative strategy for caring for and securing the continuation of such art, which is often found scattered across various archival holdings. Ultimately, the research suggests activation as a way of expanding conservation beyond the exclusive domain of trained conservators, transforming it into a collective responsibility shared by diverse archive stakeholders.
Featured photo: Ecart, boxes from Troc de Boîtes assembled on the floor of Ecart Gallery. Archives Ecart, Genève.
Photo by: Aga Wielocha
Activating Fluxus 