Archives, Curation, Conservation: Architectural Preservation Activities through Archiving and Documentation

Museums are places to record events of the past and store objects that narrate memories of bygone eras. The archival function plays a crucial role in documenting objects and artifacts that depict the historical development of an event. History has recounted many stories and journeys, some quite lengthy. Architecture is among the objects that can be archived to complement a museum by showcasing various displays, such as floor plans, drawings, photographs, and other materials related to technology, evolution, and building design.

By recording architectural traces in the form of archives, we are engaging in the activity of preserving history. Archives found within a museum can help form new ideas and encourage discussions. This can certainly be realized through the presence of "Archives, Curation, Conservation," which discusses the use of archives to build architectural discourse and conservation practices in Indonesia. This lecture is the first event of the Curator Talks, a series of talk shows and lectures from the Indonesian Architecture Museum.

"Archives, Curation, Conservation" is a seminar resulting from a collaboration between the Architecture Study Program at Universitas Pembangunan Jaya and the Indonesian Architecture Museum Foundation (YMAI). Setiadi Sopandi, the Director of YMAI, was the main speaker at this seminar, accompanied by the second speaker, Nadia Purwestri, Executive Director of the Architecture Documentation Center (PDA). Both speakers discussed Archives and Architecture, and the event was held in a hybrid format with Zoom and offline at Theater 2 of Universitas Pembangunan Jaya on February 6, 2024. This seminar was also moderated by the Secretary of the Architecture Study Program, Khalid Abdul Manan, S.T., M.Ars., GP.

Several events that will also be held in the workshop series include BIM Creation, Photogrammetry and Metadata, as well as several exhibitions showcasing works by renowned architects: (1) "Factor 'U': Documentation and Archiving of Bianpoen Architecture"; (2) Selisisk Suwondo; (3) (Me-) Recording the Traces of Han Awal; (4) Soejoedi's Architecture Transformation, and (5) Mustafa Pamuntjak: Luxurious Daily Life. This series of activities is open to the public from February to June 2024 and certainly involves students from UPJ and beyond.