Ashley Williamson

Canadian Theatre Review, Volume 156, Fall 2013, pp. 24-29 (Article)

DOI: 10.1353/ctr.2013.0060

For additional information about this article

Access provided by University of Michigan @ Ann Arbor (16 Feb 2015 15:19 GMT)

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/ctr/summary/v156/156.williamson.html

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/ctr/summary/v156/156.williamson.html

doi:10.3138/ctr.156.00524 ctr 156 fall 2013

FEATURES | Curating Performance Remains

The Archive on Display: Issues of Curating

Performance Remains

Maybe, then, in the twenty-first century it turns out to be about us? The archival turn refers to a moment in academia when scholars directed themselves to material collected in archives and used it to describe the narratives within their research. This turn is generally acknowledged as having happened in the late 1960s. The seminal shift began with Michael Foucaults work Archeology of Knowledge and his reference to the magical quality of the ar-chive (Steedman 2), or what he calls the system of discursivity that establishes the possibility of what can be said (Manoff 18). This possibility of telling was essential to Canada going beyond thinking of archives as just collections of ephemera. According to Scott James, the former head of the City of Toronto Archives, this happened in the 1960s, when the government granted fed-eral, provincial, and local institutions money to establish archives as part of the Centennial celebrations (Personal Interview). There was a realization that much of Canadas social, cultural, and artis-tic history would be lost as the country got older and those who could remember its early years were now gone. The archivists in these newly funded institutions collected, preserved, and provided access to researchers. This urgency to establish archives came from the recognition of the possibility of lost narratives and reflects Jacques Derridas idea that the archive affirms the past, present and future; it preserves the records of the past and it embodies the promise of the present to the future (Manoff 11). This impetus to preserve the past while supporting the present and encourag-ing future work is also apparent through the work of preserving theatrical archives.

This effort to preserve materials and create narratives is seen in two recent exhibitions: the Stratford Festivals Most Rare Vi-sions: Celebrating Sixty Years of the Stratford Shakespeare Fes-

So it turned out not to be about the archival turn ...

Carolyn Steedman, Dust

by Ashley Williamson

Original model of the Festival stage, designed by Tanya Moiseiwitsch, 1953. Photo by Krista Dodson, courtesy of the Stratford Festival

doi:10.3138/ctr.156.005 25ctr 156 fall 2013

tival, presented at their own gallery space on Downie Street in Stratford from April to November 2012, and the National Ballet of Canadas exhibition, 60 Years of Designing the Ballet, which was held at the Design Exchange in Toronto from 11 July to 3 September 2012. These exhibitions seem to be part of a trend for theatres to use their archives as another way to connect with their audience; however, the exhibitions also raise some difficult questions about who chooses the material and how it is displayed. Moreover, there are challenges with having an archivist create the exhibition; those who have been entrusted with the preserva-tion and categorization of these performance remains might not be their best advocates in a gallery space. How do these issues affect the publics engagement with the archive? Theatre researchers, as well as the public, have been finding an increased need for and interest in archives and archiving. Is this an indication of an archival turn outward? In what ways is the archive trying to find a way to turn to us?

It was in the early 1990s in Canada that the archive began its first turn outward, toward the public (James E-mail). In an effort to keep it culturally relevant, archivists began to look for ways to democratize the archive, to open it outward so the general public could find nar-ratives within its fonds, the idea being not to limit archival explorations to historians or other scholars. For example, the City of Toronto Ar-chives began engaging in outreach by publish-ing booklets to help Torontonians look up their houses, sending corresponding information packages to schools, and mounting archival exhibitions within the gallery and in munici-pal spaces where archivists displayed their most compelling pieces. Archivist Scott James, says that when he created displays in his space in the St. Lawrence Market, he thought carefully about the reaction he wished to elicit: I want them to be amazed by what they [had] never seen before (Personal Interview). These tactics were to prompt the public to seek out the archives, and to want to use them. Once the public took some notice, the next rotation outward came in the form of larger exhibitions of archival material.

This enthusiastic and genuine desire to show off archival trea-sures was apparent in Stratfords Most Rare Visions. A Festival press release describes the exhibition as;

... dedicated to the 60 years of the Festival, and features content from each decade of the Festivals history, including: costume pieces, props, set models, rare photographs and foot-age, an interactive lighting design display (which appeals to both children and grown-ups), and a room with rare artifacts dating back to 19531956 (the years of the Festivals original tent). (Stratford Festival)

The gallery featured a number of beautiful objects that represented a multitude of eras, departments, and people; what it didnt have, however, was a concise narrative, which is an essential element of museum design (Lord and Lord 144). Turning the archive inside out isnt enough. I found myself vexed on my excursion to Strat-fords exhibition. Visitors who might be lacking the archival lit-eracy of a seasoned researcher were left to navigate a path through the objects themselves which can feel overwhelming and frustrat-ing. For example, the original wooden chairs used in the tent were included in the exhibit, but their placement against the windows of the storefront seemed to undermine their significance to the theatres history. Rather than presenting nostalgic reminders of the early years, it looked as though the gallery hadnt taken the time to

The biscuits and jellies from the party scene of The Nutcracker are expertly balanced.Photo courtesy of Design Exchange (DX)

The table of sweets and cakes from the party scene of The Nutcracker.Photo courtesy of Design Exchange (DX)

doi:10.3138/ctr.156.00526 ctr 156 fall 2013

FEATURES | Curating Performance Remains

The wardrobe bible was presented open and free of a barrier so that visitors could page through it. Photo courtesy of Design Exchange (DX)

The costumes for the Rat Battle from The Nutcracker are displayed in the truck the ballet uses to transport them on tour.Photo courtesy of Design Exchange (DX)

doi:10.3138/ctr.156.005 27ctr 156 fall 2013

Curating Performance Remains | FEATURES

find nice chairs for exhibition patrons to sit on. A sign to the right of the second bank of chairs announced their prov-enance and invited the viewer to sit on them carefully, but on both my visits I was the only one who did. The chairs just did not look important enough to warrant attention. The early years that Stratford spent in the tent have become part of the mythology of the festival and are celebrated in everything from their logo to a statue on the festival grounds; to wit, in the very same room as the chairs, a piece of the original canvas was displayed lovingly under glass. With-out the proper curatorial guidance, the chairs lost their significance within the story of the tent, and thus their role in the narrative of the festival.

One role of an archivist is to collect materials relating to the archives man-date (James E-mail) in order to cultivate the fullest and most complete anthol-ogy of a subject; the main focus is not to find a narrative within the collection. Uncovering a narrative from archival material is what a researcher does and what makes archival research so rich and rewardinglooking at all of the objects, manuscripts, documents, and discovering a story. However, uncover-ing a narrative from among the items on display is not how an exhibition is sup-posed to work. The narrative is created by a curator who combines his or her research skills with an understanding of the principles of design. A good exhibi-tion is as much about what is not shown as what is: the best exhibits tell a story and curatorial decisions lead the public to answers using the objects. There is an inherent contradiction in the goals of an archivist and a curator, and I would argue that the work of exhibit design is counter-intuitive to the training of an archivist. In my interview with James he talked about curatorial and design skills coming near the end of the list of an ar-chivists concerns and expertise. In addi-tion he spoke about the tight division of labour in an institution that had fewer than ten people on staff. The archivist as sole curator of a show might not be a deliberate choice, then, but rather a result of strained resources and an ever-expanding job description.

A good exhibition is as much about what is not shown as what is: the best exhibits tell a story and curatorial decisions lead the public to answers using the objects.

Interactive lighting design display, designed by Michael Walton, featuring the 2000 Fiddler on the Roof set model by Debra Hanson. Photo by Krista Dodson, courtesy of the Stratford Festival

View of one of the 2012 Festival Exhibition rooms. Photo by Krista Dodson, courtesy of the Stratford Festival

doi:10.3138/ctr.156.00528 ctr 156 fall 2013

FEATURES | Curating Performance Remains

It would seem as though a logical solution to the limited skills of an archivist as a curator might be collaboration. Augmenting the expertise of a designer with the knowledge of the archivist seems necessary for the next turn the archive makes toward the public. This alliance would add another facet to the archival expe-rience relieving the archivist from having to go against his or her training to choose some objects rather than including them all. The archivists passion for his or her collection then is mediated by the designers eye. A successful example of this kind of collabora-tion was The National Ballet of Canada exhibit presented at the Design Exchange. The Design Exchanges About DX page says

they are Canadas only museum dedicated exclusively to the pur-suit of design excellence and preservation of design heritage, and they have both a dedicated curatorial staff and exhibition space. Theirs was an excellent and engrossing exhibition that managed to evoke the live-ness and liveliness of performance as well as mo-ments of true visitor engagement. The exhibition told the story of designing for the ballet, including the particular challenges that arise for the medium; for example, the didactic panel on the jig-gling desserts from The Nutcracker discussed the need for the fruit and cakes to appear precariously placed but to be fixed and balanced so the dancers wouldnt need to adjust their movements to carry them. The gallery displayed costumes and props, but also items that would not normally be available to the ballet audience, like the wardrobe mistress bible with notes. The audience was invited to touch the book and see the notes, fabric samples, and measurements for each tutu, cape, or jacket. The items were well chosen and displayed to support a clear narrative thread. Attend-ees could literally dance their way through that exhibit and leave with a sense of love and appreciation for the ballet.

As is the case for much of the art world, the allocation of sufficient resources (both artistic and financial) can significantly affect the commercial success of an exhibit. In her article Out-reach in Corporate Archives, Claire Hackett writes about the reasons corporate archives open themselves up to the public. She lists contibut[ion] to their CSR [corporate social responsibility] programmes, generat[ion] of positive public relations, or rais[ing] brand awareness (Hackett 125) as the central reasons. The exam-ples of corporations who have used their archives well include the Guinness Storehouse Brewery Experience, whose archive serves a front-of-house function within the Storehouse; a customer-fac-ing unit that deals with visitors (Hackett 120); HSBC, who has used archival material to create an art installation at their corpo-rate headquarters; and British Telecom, whose website has created a virtual museum on the internet (Hackett 123).

In a theatre or other performing arts context it may well be brand development and public relations that an archive could

work toward as a means for developing an audience for both the art and the archive. Hackett calls it using the archive-meets-mu-seum set-up (124), which will highlight the work of the archive as an integrated and essential element of the brand. What would it look like if, like Guinness, theatres were to use their archives as a front of house point of contact with their audiences? This may be difficult as Hackett also clarifies how this integration comes aboutfunding. Since she is writing about large corporate ar-chives, she can say companies have resources at their fingertips such as IT expertise, marketing and public relation functions, and financial resources (125), which may not be a certainty for a the-atre archive.

If what Hackett suggests is true, that an archive can function as a brand extension, then the next turn outward for the archive is commercial. Both Stratford and The National Ballet had commer-cial intentions with their exhibitions. Stratford offered a ticket to see Most Rare Visions in the add on section of their online ticket purchasing. Along with pre-ordering your intermission wine, for ten dollars you could add a trip to the gallery as part of the pack-age. The National Ballet of Canadas collaboration with the De-sign Exchange on both 60 Years of Designing the Ballet and The Tutu Project was widely covered by the Canadian media. Opening

As is the case for much of the art world, the allocation of sufficient resources (both artistic and financial) can significantly affect the commercial success of an exhibit.

Visitors were invited to dress up in tutus, and crowns and try out their moves at the barre. Likely intended for children to use, this interactive exhibit attracted most of the adults in the room the day the author visited. Photo courtesy of Design Exchange (DX)

doi:10.3138/ctr.156.005 29ctr 156 fall 2013

Curating Performance Remains | FEATURES

night pictures of a well-dressed young crowd and noteworthy Ca-nadians posing next to tutus, leafing through the costume bibles, and trying out their moves at the barre could be found in fashion magazines and blogs, newspapers arts sections, and on television. The archive as a marketing strategy is the next step to connect with the public.

I think that Hacketts suggestions for the corporate archive are valuable and necessary for theatre archives too. The next ar-chival turn is certainly toward branding and marketing. However, recognizing this important turn is only the first step for theatre companies, for it will not be enough to ask the archivists to pull objects from their collections that might interest an existing audi-ence; rather the project must be approached as strategically as any other branding and marketing exercise. Clarity, professionalism, and audience engagement should be the primary goal of the ex-hibit, even before the subject of the exhibition is chosen, especially for a theatre or other performing arts archive new to exhibiting. In the contemporary theatre environment, a theatre company offers a presentation of itself to the public and this image or message is reflected in all areas of public engagement from the graphics and photographs on printed material to the items available in the gift shop or lobby bar to the restaurants, hotels, and shops it advocates on its website. The same level of attention must be given to an

archival display. A theatre should ask the same marketing ques-tions about an exhibition as it does any other aspect of its brand. Does this fit within our mandate? Is it clear why we have added it? Who is our audience and what are we trying to tell them? These questions are perhaps not best answered by archivists. Their role, to collect and preserve historical resources, is important enough all on its own. Hacketts suggestion to the corporate archive is to look for advice and assistance internally. This seems like a logical solu-tion for the theatre as well. A big business has an IT department that can help with websites; a theatre has designers who presum-ably have a sense of how to use space, light, and sound effectively. However, this partnership would require a commitment to the display from all the departments of a company, not just the ar-chive, which may prove even more prohibitive than the financial consideration of just hiring an exhibition designer.

The interest in the preservation and presentation of narra-tive is a natural extension of the publics appetite for stories and storytelling, and it would be unwise for the theatre archive not to take advantage of this hunger. However, it must be done strategi-cally: theatres risk presenting themselves to the public in way that is disadvantageous in the long run. This cannot be a short-term marketing tactic; rather it must be a new way for theatres and their archives to connect with patrons. Part of this long-term thinking includes clearly defining the role that the archivist will play when performance remains become the public face of the theatre. For although archivists and curators have similar and often comple-mentary skill sets, excelling as one is not necessarily an indication of success as the other.

Works CitedDesign Exchange. About DX. Design Exchange. Web. 17 April 2013.Hackett, Claire. Outreach in Corporate Archives. Eds. Ailsa C. Hol-

land and Kate Manning. Archives and Archivists. Dublin: Four Courts, 2006. 115126. Print.

James, Scott. Article. Message to the author. 17 April 2013. E-mail.

. Personal interview. 5 April 2013.

Lord, Barry, and Gail Dexter Lord. Exhibition Galleries. The Manual of Museum Exhibitions. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira, 2002. 143195. Print

Manoff, Marlene. Theories of the Archive from Across the Disciplines. Portal: Libraries and the Academy 4.1 (2004): 925. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/pla.2004.0015.

Steedman, Carolyn. Dust. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2001. Print.Stratford Festival. Stratford marks its 60th season with opening of new

Festival Exhibition on Shakespeares birthday. Stratford, ON: Stratford Festival. 23 April 2012. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.

About the AuthorAshley Williamson is a PhD Student at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies at University of Toronto. In addition to her in-terest in museums, archives, and performance, her attention has recently been piqued by augmented reality and computer coding.

Poster, 1954 Stratford Festival season. Photo by Krista Dodson, courtesy of the Stratford Festival