"Archival"

bjorke said:

All should see Dead Link Removed

A comment: it sure seems like the material that gets the most archival attention is often among the least-interesting. I am reminded of the upper east floors of the Louvre, packed with so-so portraits of petty bureaucrats whose politcial connections got their faces into the museum.

Click to expand...

good question--but then what was the purpose of this original post?

oh, I get it--sorry forgot--stepped out of my place again! Only fine-art photographers can theorize about archival issues...

I'll let you get back to the "more interesting" aspects of "archival attention", whatever that may be.

DKT said:

good question--but then what was the purpose of this original post?

oh, I get it--sorry forgot--stepped out of my place again! Only fine-art photographers can theorize about archival issues...

Click to expand...

Was that directed toward me?

I was struck with guilt when I realized that I had apparently posted an answer that was "off-topic" - so I decided to check on what *I* had done ... and found what I perceived to be an entire thread that was ... well, slightly ...

How does one imagine that the archival life of art is an "Ethical" or "Philosophical" subject?

Anyone can have an opinion on *ANYTHING* as far as I'm concerned ... whether their direction is "Fine Art Photography" or not ... why would you think I am advocating anything different?

I think we drifted....

The issue was the ethics of defining what is archival.

Here is a thought....

What is the responsibility of the gallery? Should they merely state the true nature of the medium? Or is that a job for the artists only? Should they include care instructions with every sale?

Ed--my apologies as well. I joined in the middle of the thread in regards to inkjet accelerated testing and drifted off into temp/rh space from there.

As I see it though--it's all inter-related. In the end, it all comes back to the environment, no matter how you define it. It doesn't matter if you're talking about platinum prints or inkjets. Given the proper storage for them--even if it means sitting in a subzero vault in the dark--they'll outlast other materials that may be in fact more "archival".

An archive or a museum is pretty much stuck with the material after the fact, unless they commission a piece somehow or can specify the material in use. A gallery that's selling the prints--well, that's another story, and I'm not goig to venture there...

BTW--Ed, no that wasn't directed at you directly....uhm...but more to the whole point of the first post. I was confused about the link to Wilhelm's book--which is a great resource. I couldn't figure out the point of the sarcasm.


KT