O arquivo e a sua sombra : prolongar a existência ou adiar o fim

Having as main points of analysis the themes of Memory and Archive, the present project provides the analysis and explanation of theories and ideas developed by several communication theorists and artists whose work is focused on the perception of the variants these two themes can acquire. In this way, the theoretical investigation establishes the conceptual base for the development of a practical investigation that is materialized in three objects: a book, an audio cassette and a website. The fundamental concern, which runs through the dissertation and culminates in the development of a practical project, manifests itself in the search for elements that consolidate the archive and the fragments of my memory scattered in time, always keeping in mind the concern of defining an identity. Initially I propose several definitions for the word “archive”, keeping the words “memory “and “forgetfulness” in a parallel and complementary analysis. In addition, the role of archives in contemporary art and its forms of appropriation for the development of an artistic object are taken into account. Photography is one of the main sources of meditation when analyzing one or more archives, theoretically exploring the implications that exist when looking at or analyzing the photographic image printed on a paper. Books as objects, both in literature and in the development of artistic projects, will also be looked at and discussed. Some scientific notes are presented at the conclusion, tackling the intricacies of the scientific study with regard to memory. The practical part of this project intends to show how the editorial design, in its different forms of publication, can assume an important mould of apprehension, by others, of the different states that my archive has the potential to assum