As a team member of the The Malaysian Design Archive (MDA), Nadia Nasaruddin saw an opportunity to improve their archival practices by learning from counterparts in the United Kingdom (UK).
She went on a 20-day trip in the UK, to learn from specific archives in the UK, such as the British Library Labs (BLL), British Library, Birmingham City University, Arts, Design & Media Archive, Brighton University of Design Archive, London Screen Archive and Black Cultural Archive.
Through the research trip, Nadia observed and learned from best practices in archiving procedure for her organisation’s implementation. Thus, began her project entitled, “Archival Thinking: Building and Managing Digital-Physical Archives of Resistance.”
“We hope that this not only allows a younger generation of emerging archivists in Malaysia, but also allows us to build upon this global knowledge to create an open-source software specifically for small, digital archives of resistance. In the long run, we hope this software will democratise the practice of archiving: in the act of remembrance, lies the possibility of resistance.” - Nadia.
Through the programme's support, information, advice and networking opportunities for professional development, Nadia’s research trip opened up opportunities to discover new cultural insight on the act of resistance in archiving, that were taking place in the UK.
“As a whole, the research trip has provided me assurance on the possibilities of archive. Watching amazing projects presented during Film London Conference showed me new ways of doing things. Archive's future no longer lies in research and classrooms, but now spans to advancing community's wellbeing through rigorous engagement and enhanced access policy.” - Nadia
Nadia Nasaruddin
Nadia is a journalism graduate who loves history and archive-worthy things. Since November 2018, she has been building the AirAsia Archive, a digital database houses almost 2,000 physical and digital artifacts. She enjoys creating stories from objects and human experience by understanding the significance and value of narratives from all walks of life.
Malaysian Design Archive (MDA)
Malaysia Design Archive is a project to map the development of graphic design in Malaysia from the period before independence (1957) until now. It is a space to trace and document Malaysian ‘endangered’ design legacy, to preserve the nation’s historical past, as well as to create a resource of Malaysian art and design work. In providing a space to question meaning, recurring imagery, icons used, ideas, and how it is connected to the political landscape at the time, the project aims to highlight the importance of archiving as a way to protect and preserve the nation’s visual history.
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