No. 11The archives

The original meaning of "archive" derives from the Greek "arkheîon," referring to the residence of the archons who had the authority to interpret deposited documents from their position of power. However, Foucault's archaeology of knowledge indicated at the onset of postmodernity that archives were no longer confined to a physical space but assumed an abstract condition as a transformative device for statements and discourses. Furthermore, these changes in the order and dynamics of archives have been accentuated by new digital technologies, as pointed out by Wolfgang Ernst, affecting how knowledge is produced and consumed, and consequently, reconfiguring its power structures.

So, what should we preserve if we assimilate the archive to a 'repository of meanings' as stated by Eric Ketelaar?

Emotion, expectations, and uncertainty invade us as we approach architectural archives, hoping to discover original and unpublished documentation for our research. Archives, collections, and repositories have been and continue to be an inexhaustible source of exploration. A physical and/or digital (dematerialized) space of testimonies and diverse materials that in architecture connects with the corporeality of the work itself, which becomes a document. Archives allow us to understand the past from multiple perspectives—not only architectural, urban, or landscape but also cultural, social, and economic, as Manuel Blanco stated at the 2004 International Congress of Architectural Archives. But especially, they are an opportunity to (re)think or manage (dis)memories that challenge hegemonic narratives.

For instance, Milka Bliznakov initiated a pioneering effort by creating the International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA) in 1985, where the records of female architects are collected and preserved after noticing their limited dissemination and reluctance to promote their achievements. Other more localized archives include Argentina's Archivo Nuestras Arquitectas (ANA), the Pioneering Women of American Architecture (PWoAA) in the USA, and NAM, Navegando Arquitecturas de Mujer in Spain, to name a few. Additionally, there are archives focused on individual authorship, mainly kept in professional offices and, in certain cases, in private and/or public institutions. Possibly, what is not found in them—the gaps, the omissions—also fosters our curiosity and encourages new research.

What is preserved, what is discarded, and why?

Art curator and critic Hans Ulrich Obrist asserts that creating an archive is a way to generate knowledge and, inevitably, a way to think about the world. This call is an invitation to do so, to think about how archives can be reconstructed, deconstructed, appropriated, or curated. To approach stories, testimonies, works, legacies, and collections that have not been disseminated or interpreted and to do so from new feminist, activist, and dissident perspectives. A call to unveil archives that address gender and otherness critically. An opportunity to speculate on them by questioning absences in historiographical narratives, to research female architects who have helped shape our environment, to investigate non-canonical works that have transformed contexts, and to approach work processes or curatorial practices in architecture that have not been of interest in certain spheres.

With this spirit, this issue seeks to inquire about absent, silent, or invisible archives, as well as about archival policies and even the role of communication in architectural archives.