Engaging the Archive
A solo-exhibition of recent work by
Fabian Saptouw
Venues:
University of Cape Town Chancellor Oppenheimer Library
The Cape Town Central Library
The Bellville Public Library
âEngaging the Archiveâ will broadly examine the function and value of the concept of the book within the archive and the context of the contemporary moment. Due to developments in hardware and software the printed word has become a fragmented and open-ended artifact. Various key signifiers of meaning in relation to the materiality of the book have been drastically altered in our highly digitised era. This exhibition will attempt to reframe the institutional relationship to the materiality of the book and attempt to challenge the viewersâ assumptions and expectations of text and image.
The book holds special value within the academic context because of its link to the collection, curation, preservation and presentation of knowledge. The links between these practices will be examined by responding to key texts within the historical and theoretical terrain. Creating interventions in specific sites like libraries and universities will highlight the role these institutions play. Each specific site will have its own set of curatorial challenges as well as its own historical significance in relation to the local context and the specific content it archives.
Various texts have been published that explore the history of the printed word in relation to the development of society, economics and history.
âEngaging the Archiveâ
will attempt to engage these multiple histories in an open-ended and nuanced way to illicit viewer interest and generate reinterpretations of existing texts and ideas. This
will be done by visually drawing together a diverse set of references to echo the complex nature of the book. The referenced time period ranges from the oldest existing piece of handmade paper dated 399 AD, Gutenbergâs movable type innovations, Xerox machines,
Epub encoding for tablet devices and the sacred space texts occupy in fiction novels ranging from the medieval to the post-apocalyptic environment.
Exhibition details
Exhibition Opens: Friday 19 June
Exhibition Social Event:
Wednesday 29 July
@ 16:00
Opening Speaker: Shamil Jeppie
Venue: LCK Ulwazi Training Room (Knowledge Commons) - UCT Chancellor Oppenheimer Library, UCT Upper Campus
Closing dates:
30 June - The Cape Town Central Library
30 July - The Bellville Public Library
30 July - UCT Chancellor Oppenheimer Library - Research Wing Level 4 & Level 5
For information about walkabouts and workshops contact - fabian.saptouw@gmail.com
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
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