How to make an archive? Naomi V. Jelish Archive

One thing we have been asked to look at as part of the most recent brief is documenting our findings of the development of an area in the style of a biography- but as an archive? How does one do this?- had a chat with Annabel (or replacement tutor for Christian) Who showed us a series of different ways of acheiving this. As the brief says you could document it in a seris of postcard- or perhaps if I am doing a look at the train station perhaps there is a way of presenting it which make it look like they are parcels. Perhaps there is some way information is archived which relates to train stations?

Look into this.

ar·chive  (ärkv)

n.


1. A place or collection containing records, documents, or other materials of historical interest. Often used in the plural: old land deeds in the municipal archives.
2. Computer Science
a. A long-term storage area, often on magnetic tape, for backup copies of files or for files that are no longer in active use.
b. A file containing one or more files in compressed format for more efficient storage and transfer.
3. A repository for stored memories or information: the archive of the mind.

tr.v. ar·chived, ar·chiv·ing, ar·chives
1. To place or store in an archive.
2. Computer Science To copy or compress (a file) into an archive.

Archive's we have been looking at include the Naomi Vs Jelish archive. This is such an interesting read and look at the website mainly because the back story is so intense and rich. Thus adding another layer of intrigue to the drawings. Beautiful.

In July 1991, 13-year-old Naomi V. Jelish and her family mysteriously vanished from their home in Kent, after a tragic year in which her father died after attempting to save her younger brother from drowning. Shortly after the family's disappearance, John Ivesmail, a retired science teacher at Naomi's school, unearthed a collection of the teenager's remarkable drawings.

In the years following the disappearance, John attempted to trace what had happened to the family through an investigation of Naomi's incredible artworks. John hoped to throw light on the family's bizarre vanishing by mounting an exhibition of the youngster's work.

John died in 2002 before his desire to open the exhibition could be achieved. Despite this, the show John had planned was realised in the presentation of Naomi's work at the Riflemaker Gallery in 2004, overseen by the artist Jamie Shovlin. Since their early nineties disappearance, Naomi and her family have never been heard from.

In the 10 years prior to his death, John Ivesmail sent copies of many of the documents he accumulated, in his attempt to bring Naomi's work to a larger audience, to friends and colleagues seeking advice and an assessment of his work. We are pleased to be able to display the most comprehenssive collection of this material to date.

With the assistance of Jamie Shovlin we are also able to present a number of supplementary documents and examples of Naomi's drawings allowing us to contextualise the archive and place it within the framework begun with the Riflemaker exhibition of Naomi's work and its subsequent display at the Saatchi Gallery whilst also addressing many of the questions raised through the recovery of additional works by Naomi in July 2004.