Nov 26, 2024

Brazilian Archives for Research

Bia Varanis

Head of Content

Archives are inexhaustible sources of memory and can reveal much about absences and continuities. They can inspire, captivate, or spark curiosity. An archive is an accumulation of existences, creations, and experiences where one can find snapshots of a social and historical context.

The collections I recommend below exist mostly due to a collaborative process of preserving memory. They are visual narratives that provide visibility to the social experiences of individuals, bodies, and discourses. Believing that visuality is important in design practice and recalling the words of Brazilian historian Beatriz Nascimento, "We need images to reclaim identity; it must become visible because the face of one is the reflection of the other, the body of one is the reflection of the other, and in each person lies the reflection of all bodies. Invisibility lies at the root of the loss of identity," I hope these recommendations prove valuable for research and world discovery.

Acervo Bajubá

A community project dedicated to documenting the memories of Brazilian LGBT+ communities. In addition to gathering a collection of items that record sexual diversity and the plurality of gender expressions and identities in Brazil, Bajubá collaborates on exhibitions, training programs, and projects that produce, mediate, and circulate narratives about LGBT+ people’s histories. Follow on Instagram.

Arquivo Lésbico Brasileiro

A civil society organization aimed at preserving historical and cultural records on lesbian identities and facilitating access to these items. Founded in 2020, it brings together the work of lesbian researchers and activists dedicated to sharing the materials they possess. Follow on Instagram.

Arquitetura Bicha

"All cities around the world should be safe and accessible for LGBTQIA+ people." This is the premise of the Queer Architecture collective, founded in March 2020 by students and professors from across Brazil to promote discussions on architecture related to the queer community. One of its goals is to highlight LGBTQIA+ references in the field, such as Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx. A curated selection is published on Instagram.

ACHO Arquivo - Coleções de Histórias Ordinárias

An initiative conceived by artists and researchers with the intent to gather discarded and found vernacular photographs in the city of Campinas, sourced by a group of waste pickers who participate as symbolic “image prospectors” in the project. The purpose of this initiative is to create and maintain an archive open to research and artistic production. A curated selection is published on Instagram.

Fotos dos outros

A project that brings together images found at antique fairs, flea markets, or images that were forgotten or discarded. It explores the aesthetic potential of anonymous images and offers an incredible curation on Instagram.

Constelações de Memória Negra

Organized by Casa Sueli Carneiro, this is a platform for mapping organizations and movements that work on the production, preservation, and dissemination of Brazilian Black memory. The initiatives are categorized into 12 types of activities: archival studies, art, activism, library science, cartography, communication, culture, education, museology, research, religion, and health.