Join us to explore the tensions, intersections and evolving responsibilities of photographic archives in the digital age. As museums, artists and institutions grapple with questions of preservation, access, authorship and obsolescence, this symposium creates a dialogue between archivists, photographers, curators, scholars and the public.
This symposium isn’t just about archives – it’s about institutional responsibility, cultural memory and the future of photography.
PHOTOREAL 2025: The crisis of the archive | Photography between analogue and digital
10am to 5pm at the Museum of Australian Photography, in collaboration with Australian National University (ANU).
Workshop pass $70 full/$63 conc (with access to talks) Talks day pass $50 full/$45 conc (access all talks)
Light lunch and afternoon tea provided in the MAPh cafe
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MORNING KEYNOTE | Dr Katrina Sluis (Australian National University)
Photography, prediction, extraction: Rethinking archives in the age of AI
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11:15 LECTURE | Dr Cecilia Järdemar (Australian National University)
Reframing the encounter
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12:30 AFTERNOON KEYNOTE | Wominjeka Djeembana Research Lab (Monash University) with Dr Peta Clancy + Dr Kirsten Garner Lyttle + Jahkarli Romanis
We are the Archives of our Ancestors
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1:30 WORKSHOP | Camille Perry
Alchemical archives: Film processing with foraged materials
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WORKERS IN THE ARCHIVE
Our institutions collect and store an incredible range of historically significant artefacts. Their preservation and prioritisation requires much more than gloves and solandar boxes. Hear from those taking stock of history as they share their fascinating disciplines, discoveries and diamonds of the archive.
1:30 | Nick Henderson + Angela Bailey (Australian Queer Archives)
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2:30 | Kate Holloway (State Library Victoria)
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ARTISTS IN THE ARCHIVE
From discarded objects that evoke fantastic stories to lost histories that underline a tragic past, this session includes artists who have delved into institutional, personal and little-known archives to consider the meaning of what we collect, what we choose to leave behind and the stories that are lost between the cracks.
3:30 | Melody Woodnutt
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3:30 | Ali Tahayori
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