ABSTRACT
I have experienced first-hand the transformative power of photography, both with my own archival-inspired project work and while teaching photography and facilitating participatory art projects. In 2004, I developed a new module entitled ‘Experimental archaeology: within and beyond the archive’ for the second year students on the University of Brighton BA Photography course. What makes this ‘Archives’ module distinct from their other electives, is that over the six weeks it runs, students are encouraged to engage with a wide range of archival materials (family or found photographs, objects, documents, etc.) as a starting point for new photographic projects. This chapter will describe the module structure, methodologies and production techniques. Focusing on a small selection of student projects, I will describe how the photographic process has led to artistic and therapeutic outcomes for some of the students, which were, at least initially, unintentional and unexpected.
