Promotional Film Concerning the Archiving of Other People’s Memories


8mm-film transferred to 16mm-film, 5min, IICADOM 2006

The Other People’s Memories archive is a growing collection of orphaned ego-documents, 8 mm found films, photos and other paraphernalia bought at flea markets, secondhand shops and garage sales. Since 2005, I have placed the activity of accumulating this material under the (imaginary) aegis of IICADOM (The International Institute for the Conservation, Archiving and Distribution of Other People’s Memories). This institute, having provided both the basic material and the inspiration of my work, may be regarded as an alter ego for my artistic practice. Subjecting the collection on which this project is based to institutionalization gives it an aura of authority, so that the archive rises above its initial informality and randomness. The institute (and the acronym IICADOM) originated at the same time as the Promotional Film Concerning the Archiving of Other People’s Memories. This film is a kind of fictional manual that sheds light on the activities and methods of IICADOM. It combines a montage of 8 mm footage from the archive with a Russian voice-over, evoking the style of science documentaries and educational TV programmes.