ALMS 2019 Berlin – Queering Memory

2019-06-28

Berlin, June 28th 2019, HKW – Haus der Kulturen der Welt
4-5.30 pm, Ausstellungshalle

ARCHIVES OF THE MOVING IMAGE
Chair: Judit Szabó
Presentations by:
Anna Linder To Move On To: The Swedish Archive for Queer Moving Images [SAQMI].
Thirumalai Jayashree Queer Archive as a Site of Activism: The Queer Archive for Memory, Reflection and Activism in Bangalore, India [QAMRA].
Ana Opalić & Zrinka Kolarić L’Egzistencija: Recording the Personal Stories of Lesbian Existence in Croatia

SAQMI – THE SWEDISH ARCHIVE OF QUEER MOVING IMAGES

TO MOVE ON TO
An ongoing work with a new archive for queer moving images in Sweden. About the future of the archive; thoughts, ideas and working methods. How should we make these moving images visible in our own way? And how do we form a queer archive for moving images in Sweden today in the digital era? Thoughts on a new settlement and the work of queering an archive and not falling into old patterns and methods. SAQMI wants to be a co-determining archive where authors influence the development and design what the archive should be.

For the first time ever in Sweden The Swedish Archive for Queer Moving Images is compiling the history of queer moving images and storing it all in one place. A history that has been marginalised through oppression and self-censorship. Through methods such as documentation, interviews, archiving, screenings, presentations, workshops and discussions, the first platform of queer moving images in Sweden will be created.
/ Short description for the presentation by Anna Linder

About the conference 2019:

ALMS 2019 BERLIN: ‘QUEERING MEMORY – ARCHIVES – ARTS – AUDIENCES‘

Welcome to Berlin! It is truly a great honour for us to host the sixth conference in the ALMS series at the historic Haus der Kulturen der Welt from 27 – 29 June 2019. This is a very special year for Berlin: ALMS 2019 commemorates the 100th anniversary of the world’s first queer archive, library, museum and special collection. In July 1919 Magnus Hirschfeld opened the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft [Institute for Sex Research]: a place of research, advice and counselling, of social gatherings, intellectual and cultural exchange, performances and parties. On 6 May 1933, just fourteen years later, the institute – including its sex historical museum – was destroyed by the Nazis and its library burned. The institute was located at the very place where the Haus der Kulturen der Welt stands today, and where this conference convenes. ALMS 2019 is therefore a historic event of enormous symbolic, political and scientific significance. Since the ALMS conference series was initiated by Jean Tretter in Minneapolis in 2006, its mission has been to ensure that LGBTIQ+ history continues to be preserved and shared. Over the years, more and more activists have come together to build up an impressive international network at subsequent conferences in New York, San Francisco, Amsterdam and London.

In Berlin in 2019, we are extremely pleased to welcome over 350 participants from more than 40 countries. They come from a full spectrum of grassroots, public, private and academic archives, working to collect and preserve materials of all types from LGBTIQ+ communities, researching the queer past, or developing ways to make these materials and histories accessible to audiences. We welcome those who not only look back to history, but who also use the queer past to discuss the challenges of the present and defend the future of queer histories and lives.

The focus for this year’s conference is ‘Queering Memory’. We want to ask what this could mean under the political, social and cultural conditions of the present, and how the diversity of queer histories can be made visible in these digitised times. We want to explore the potential for generating and expanding audiences for queer archives, libraries, museums and special collections, paying special attention to the role of art and artistic interventions.

Our conference provides an opportunity for archivists, activists and scholars from around the world to gather, share their stories and discuss the issues concerning the documentation of LGBTIQ+ lives. We hope that ALMS 2019 Berlin will be an inspiring event that ensures the encouraging experience of being part of an international network, overcoming borders and on track for the future.
Andreas Pretzel, Conference Manager