Reading commentary for Mike Featherstone’s 2006 overview of the history and the nature of the “Archive”

In the reading, Mike Featherstone talks about the history and nature of the archive as a cultural institution. The archive could be traced back to ancient civilizations, where people used it to preserve and organize historical documents and records.

The article also explores the development of the modern archive, which emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries as a way of organizing and preserving cultural artifacts and documents. Mike argues that the archive not only played a key role in shaping our understanding of the past and our collective memory but also was used to exert power and control over history.

The concept of “archive fever” is also interesting, which refers to the desire to collect and preserve cultural artifacts and documents to preserve the past. There are deeper psychological and cultural motivations behind the desire. The author argues that this desire was driven by a sense of loss and a need to hold onto the past but also highlights the archive’s potential dangers, such as distortion and manipulation of history.

Reading commentary for Wolfgang Ernst’s “Dynamic Media Memories” in chapter 4 “Archives in Transition”.

This reading discusses the changing nature of the archive in the digital age. The author argues that the traditional concept of the archive as a static and fixed collection of documents and artifacts is no longer relevant, as the proliferation of digital media has led to a more dynamic and fluid understanding of memory.

Ernst points out that the digital archive is not simply a collection of digital documents but is also shaped by the technologies and processes that are used to create, access, and preserve these documents. He discusses software and algorithms’ role in shaping how we access and interpret digital information.

The author also touches on the concept of differential archives, which are self-learning and adaptable to their respective media formats, and the role of cognition in the creation of memory. Ernst also points out the importance of media-specific archival practices and the need to abandon the storage metaphor in favor of a model of memory as a network.

Reading commentary for chapter 3 “Underway to the Dual System” by Wolfgang Ernst.

The author discusses the concept of a digital archive and how it differs from classical archives. Traditional archives are based on storing physical items, such as documents or artifacts, and rely on classification systems to organize and access them. In contrast, digital archives are generated on demand and are accessed online through networked computers. Using agents and filters allows users to create and shape the content of the digital archive, making it a generative and participative form of archival reading. The author also discusses the challenges of archiving processual works, such as born-digital media art, and the need for art and archival language to be developed for these types of assignments. The digital archive operates at a micro-temporal level and relies on the archiving of source codes, rather than fixed data blocks, to regenerate new copies of algorithmic objects. The author also explores the mathematical basis of the digital archive and the potential for it to be used as a tool for memory production.