A R C H I V E
Archive tells a story about vanishing civilizations and the complex relationship
between history, knowledge, and power. Shot in Peru, these photographs
intertwine decaying manuscripts, an archeological site, and an indigenous
agrarian workers’ strike. Though seemingly unrelated, the images
are directly connected—the workers, concerned about land and
water rights, cannot claim ownership to their land without access to
the increasingly fragile manuscripts. Meanwhile, the manuscripts in
the archives continue to deteriorate at an alarming rate,. The archeological
site reveals a mysteriously vanquished culture, most likely due to
severe drought, the very phenomenon which threatens the indigenous
cultures today.
The photographs in Archive speak to frustrated attempts to preserve,
decode, and convey historical records. Written history, as utilitarian
preserver
of culture, is as tenuous and fragile as the paper it’s recorded
on, while the stones of an ancient civilization—and those used by
the striking workers to block roadway passage— mutter incoherently
about lessons learned and lost.
