“ARCHIVES AS PROCESS”
Archives are a verb, not a noun. They are not just the stuff in boxes, the files on hard drives, or the acid-free folders. They are what you do with them. The act of gathering, organizing, and sharing creates meaning. Archives do not exist without people who create, preserve, and use. They are alive, dynamic, and evolving.
Virgil Abloh once said, “Design is a process of distillation.” So are archives. The choices you make — what to keep, what to discard, how to present it — are as much about the audience as the artifact. Every decision shapes how the story is told.
MATERIALITY IS MEANING
Receipts. Photos. Post-it notes. These are not just objects — they are fragments of context. In traditional archives, they are valued for their provenance or the story of their creation. But Abloh would push us to look deeper. What do these pieces of ephemera say now? What do they mean to the person encountering them for the first time?
Think of archives like a sneaker drop. The material matters, sure. But the cultural energy around them — the conversations, the hype, the remix — gives them power. A 19th-century diary and a 2020 group text can coexist in the same archives. Together, they build connections that redefine both.
WHO IS AT THE TABLE?
Gatekeeping is out. Collaboration is in. For too long, archives have been about control: institutions deciding what is important, who gets access, and how materials are described. That is not sustainable. It’s not equitable. And it is not interesting.
Abloh’s democratized approach to design resonates here. The street informed the runway; the runway informed the street. Archives should function the same way. Communities must have a voice in how their stories are preserved. The archivist’s role is not to dictate meaning but to facilitate its discovery.
ARCHIVES ARE ADVOCACY
Archives are not neutral. They can challenge power or uphold it. Abloh understood the power of subtle messaging — how a single quotation mark or unexpected material could disrupt expectations. Archives have the same potential. They can preserve evidence, elevate marginalized voices, and demand accountability.
Get Margot Note’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Imagine collections of protest flyers, photographs, and hashtags. On their own, they are artifacts. Together, they are a movement. Archives become more than repositories — they are tools for action, catalysts for change.
DIGITAL FLUIDITY
The digital is not separate from the physical; it is an extension. Abloh’s work moved seamlessly between worlds — physical pieces lived on Instagram, in GIFs, in conversations. Archives must do the same.
The challenge? Digital is ephemeral. Tweets, TikToks, Instagram stories — how do you capture something designed to disappear? The answer is not to fight impermanence but to embrace it. Archives should capture the context, the moment, and the reaction. They should preserve the why, not just the what.
REDEFINING THE ARCHIVIST
If archivists are gatekeepers, it is time to rethink the gate. What if archivists were not just preservers but designers? What if their job was to craft experiences rather than maintain order?
Abloh blurred the lines between roles. Designer, DJ, artist — they all informed each other. Archivists can work the same way. Their decisions — what to highlight, how to frame it — shape the audience’s experience. That is not administration. That is creation.
SPACES FOR EVERYONE
Archives are not just for historians or academics. They are for the kid who wants to learn about their neighborhood, the artist searching for inspiration, and the activist looking for evidence. They are for anyone who wants to find their place in a larger story.
Abloh often bridged worlds — luxury and streetwear, old and new. Archives can do this, too. They are not just records of the past but tools for navigating the present and imagining the future.
REMIX THE ARCHIVES
Virgil Abloh taught us that creativity is a remix. Archives are no different. They are about taking what is there and making something new. They are about connections, not collections.
Archives do not belong behind glass or locked in digital vaults. They belong in the hands of the people. Accessible. Open. Ready to inspire.
