The Record
CROSS-INSTITUTIONAL INTERPRETIVE FIELDS
Multi-Format Authored Archive (Physical, Text, Sonic, Garment, Installation)
Ashes & Architecture has developed through an extensive body of institutional, academic, curatorial and industry correspondence. Across these exchanges, the archive has been considered through questions of cultural memory, collecting, preservation, artistic interpretation, material form and public presentation.
The Record brings together three volumes documenting this engagement. It traces the movement of the work from its initial interpretive contexts through specific collection pathways, curatorial discussions and international cultural networks.
Taken together, these exchanges reveal the range of contexts in which a single authored archive can be encountered, assessed and developed. The record is not a single institutional verdict, but an evolving account of dialogue, consideration and potential pathways for the work.
Volume I
Volume I establishes the breadth of the archive's initial institutional and academic engagement. It brings together perspectives from cultural heritage, libraries, digital infrastructure, music education, theology and material practice, demonstrating the range of disciplines through which Ashes & Architecture has been considered.
Cultural Heritage, Acquisition & Policy Pathways
Heritage Collections, UK Government (Dr Katy Barrett)
Identifies and maps potential acquisition pathways for the archive within the UK heritage landscape, including the Whitechapel Gallery, Arts Council Collection and the V&A.
The National Gallery, London (Dr Susanna Avery-Quash)
Recognises the ambition and interdisciplinary character of the project, situating its interests in relation to the history of collecting and museum research.
Unilever Global Archives (Claire Tunstall)
Considers the work through the perspectives of corporate stewardship, heritage preservation and cultural continuity, with particular attention to endurance through change.
Digital Infrastructure, Media & Sonic Curation
The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Vincent J. Novara)
Engages with the archive's sonic methodology and directs the material to the Curator of Recorded Sound for further consideration in relation to institutional acquisition.
The British Library / Digital Catapult (Dr Jeremy Silver)
Considers the project through the relationship between digital infrastructure, innovation and the preservation of cultural memory.
Guildhall School of Music & Drama (Professor Sean Gregory)
Commends the interdisciplinary research framework and the integration of text, sound, spatial practice and material design.
Theological, Conceptual & Material Vision
The Vatican Museum (Professor Bruce Herman)
Responds to the archive's unity of purpose and vision, recognising the coherence of its multi-sensory and interdisciplinary approach.
University of Cambridge / Duke University (The Revd Professor Jeremy Begbie)
Engages with the archive through questions of theology, temporality, rhythm and creative imagination, bringing philosophical and academic perspectives to its interpretation.
Volume II
Volume II marks a shift from broad interpretive engagement towards specific collection systems, legal deposit, acquisition consideration and institutional pathways. The volume documents how the archive's physical and intellectual forms have been discussed in relation to libraries, national collections, public heritage and cultural leadership.
Rare Book, Manuscript & Systemic Legal Deposit
University of Cambridge Library (Collections & Academic Liaison)
Documents the archive's entry into the University of Cambridge's collections through the United Kingdom's statutory legal deposit framework.
Yale University (Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library)
Places the archive within a targeted acquisition review for consideration by the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library's rare books, manuscripts and special collections infrastructure.
The Huntington Library, California (Vanessa Wilkie, Ph.D.)
Reviews the publication and recognises it as a compelling work, providing a curatorial perspective on its potential relevance to the library's collections.
Public Heritage, National Collections & Acquisition Pathways
Heritage Collections, UK Government (Dr Katy Barrett)
Continues to identify institutional routes for the physical archive, including the V&A, Tate and Whitechapel Gallery.
Arts Council England (Maria Hampton)
Advances the correspondence concerning the archive to the Office of the Chief Executive and Chair, documenting its progression within the organisation.
Westminster Abbey (Dr Tony Trowles)
Identifies potential institutional contexts for the work within the Tate Library, University of the Arts London Library Services and the Institute of Contemporary Arts.
Institutional Stewardship, Editorial Leadership & Spatial Criticism
The Smithsonian Institution (Mitch Toda, National Museum of American History)
Considers the archive in relation to archival collection practice and time-based media art, acknowledging the methods used to catalogue and preserve its multi-format output.
The New York Times (Alice Rawsthorn OBE)
Directs the archive and its independent label, EXODUS PDCM, towards editorial leadership at The New York Times, opening a potential route for further editorial consideration.
FAST Creative Platform (Eva Franch i Gilibert)
Responds positively to the project's architectural and spatial dimensions, describing the work as "Fantastic."
Salisbury Cathedral (The Very Revd Nicholas Papadopulos DL)
Progresses the correspondence to Canon Kenneth Padley and the cathedral's arts programme leadership, identifying a potential context for the archive within the cathedral's cultural activity.
Volume III
Volume III extends the record into international museums, major cultural organisations, production studios and the global music industry. It documents exchanges with senior cultural figures and organisations across Europe, North America, Australia, South America and the Middle East, tracing possible contexts for the archive's presentation, interpretation and development.
International Museums & Global Curatorial Strategy
The Louvre, Paris (Donatien Grau)
Receives the archive for consideration in relation to contemporary programming through the office of the Adviser to the Presidency of the Louvre.
The Getty, Los Angeles (Katherine E. Fleming)
Engages with the project at the executive level of the J. Paul Getty Trust, exploring its potential alignment with international institutional contexts.
The Museum of Modern Art / MoMA PS1, New York (Connie Butler)
Directs the project towards The Shed, New York, as a potential context for its multidisciplinary and large-scale presentation.
National Gallery of Victoria, Australia (Tony Ellwood AM)
Considers the archive's international context and identifies Korea and Japan as territories for further consideration in relation to its interdisciplinary practice.
Pinacoteca de São Paulo, Brazil (Jochen Volz)
Responds to the archive's literary dimensions and identifies the English-language context as a strategic consideration for reaching audiences and developing its poetic material.
Master Fine Art & Progressive Theatre Studios
Antony Gormley Studio (Chloe Redston)
Receives the archive's documentation and advances it to Antony Gormley for personal artistic consideration, engaging with the breadth of its material forms.
Robert Lepage Inc. / Ex Machina (Johanne Tremblay)
Receives the archive at the executive level of the production studio, placing the material before director Robert Lepage for consideration.
Commercial Music Industry Executive Infrastructure
BMG (Alistair Norbury)
Considers the intersection of music and fine art within the archive and directs the project to Breaking Wave Music for further discussion.
ATC Management / ATC Music Group PLC (Brian Message)
Reviews the archive's physical scale and multidisciplinary scope, acknowledging its dimensions and circulating the material internally.
Music Industry Commentary & Creative Development (Tony Nwachukwu)
Responds to the archive's physical production and identifies potential routes through live presentation, public funding and wider market development.
International Public Cultural Authorities & Library Infrastructure
Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Government of Dubai
Progresses the correspondence concerning the archive to the executive office of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture.
Factory International, Manchester (Dawn Walters)
Receives the project for curatorial consideration in relation to future programming.
National Library of Australia (Heather Clark)
Directs the archive to the Director of Curatorial & Collection Research for consideration within the context of the National Library of Australia's collections.