AM Postcards Archive
February 2018
Interested in the practice of using archival methods in artistic work, I've created two archives following the format of a file I've encountered at the National Postal Museum. The first one is a fake archive documenting communication between a fake company, AM Postcards, and a fake printing company, in regards of producing some fake postcards (by fake artists) for a fake exhibition. All the information inside is made up, however, the format follows that of a real archive exactly. I've, however, included subtle inconsistencies and joke to engage the viewer and leave them wondering about the archive's authenticity.
The second file in this archive is a real archive documenting the production of the first (fake) archive. This confuses the viewer even more, because the two are very similar in appearance, yet have certain differences. The notion of making a real archive about a fake archive raises questions of whether the fake one can be considered real, as in a way it documents my creating a work of art. The patterned pillow and fabric wrapped glove box, are somewhat odd and therefore further support the viewer's confusion about the authenticity.