Open ArchiefOpen Archief

Oana Clitan uses the rhetoric of historical and current news broadcasting to speculate on how information will be presented in the future. The installation explores a scenario in which electrical devices are damaged, so that it is impossible to produce new visual content. The only means of visual expression in this world is through scarce, salvaged archival materials, which the government uses to inform citizens about the latest developments in the crisis.

An installation with photographs and film of spaces seemingly frozen in time, like silent meeting rooms, empty staircases, dusty shelves, long corridors and closed doors. These materials provided the stage for uninvited visitors. Guy Königstein assumed the role of one unexpected guest or harmless intruder, wandering through the archive’s maze in search of connections and ways of belonging. Opening drawers and files, he asked the question: ‘Dear past, what would it take to throw you off balance?

The Stolen Archive is a speculative thriller. The video installation by Donna Verheijden makes connections between the stories and events hidden in the archives of Het Nieuwe Instituut and the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision. Verheijden draws upon the collections as repositories of images, audio clips and objects that can be used as characters, props and sets.