Hal Foster

Summary of Hal Foster: An Archival Impulse

Archival art is an investigation into figures, objects and events in history. This process has been investigated by many international artists, such as; Stan Douglas and Pierre Huyghe. One of the main points to extract from this reading is how Foster explores the ways in which archival art is different to database art.

Archival artists attempt to re-create the physical element of lost or forgotten historical information. They do this by elaborating on the found object, image or piece of text. A point that is extracted and must be acknowledged is the lack of access to the Internet at the time that this study was performed, and these artworks were made. With this, the works that were produced were often more tactile, and required human interaction. In this sense, archival art focuses more on the individual trace of the item (or the scenario that they are investigating) and are drawn toward unfinished or unfulfilled projects. Another interesting point raised is how archival art not only elaborates on ‘informal’ archives, but produces them as well. This highlights the nature of physical archival materials, as the authenticity is then lost, and has been recreated, yet is still based on fact.

In the sense that archival art differs from database art, is therefore still varies from art that explores the nature of a museum. The distinct difference is that these artists are not as concerned with ‘critiques or representations’, nor with the order of the institution instead they invent their own system of assembling. Archival artists seek to reveal what is behind closed doors, and what we as the public do not usually have access to.

As technology advances, the nature of archival art will further change and develop. It is through the ‘mutations of connections and disconnections’ that these artists have produced artworks that allow the audience to view historical elements in a new light.