The Art of Memory: archival practices and systems of remembering

This practice-led PhD addresses the possibility of creating archives as an artistic practice able to question existing cultural structures, and filling the gaps in the construction of history and knowledge. The context for this thesis takes into consideration the increasing privatization of content in communication in the digital era, and its influence in the construction of memory; the continuous flow of pictures documents what is happening instant by instant, creating a condition of ubiquity, emotionality and synchronicity for social users of social networks. It also focuses on theoretical and practical approaches to images in contemporary art, through archival practices and the photographic medium. The key concern of this thesis is that visual culture can address matters of political awareness and social change; this suggests that cultural production becomes the opportunity to test the appropriation of critical perspectives by spectators. In this thesis, I have used my own multi-layered projects as a basis for reframing the role of spectatorship in the digital era: the relationship between the photographer and photographed and how physical engagement can play an important role in addressing visitors’ responsibility towards the contents of the artwork.