Invisible Archives is a sequence of eight exhibitions and public programmes which explore genealogies and non-institutional memories of civil initiatives of Marseille. The project took place in 2019 – 2020 as part of Tiers Programme of Manifesta 13 Marseille.

Proposed by the Education team of Manifesta 13, Tiers Programme (Third Programme) is a mediation initiative between the main curatorial programme and the citizens of Marseille. One of its projects, Invisible Archives, uses the framework of the biennial to introduce a third perspective in order to nourish discussions on the building of symbolic and imaginary representations of the city and the actions that create its multiple realities. Invisible Archives represent selected genealogies and non-institutional memories of various civil initiatives, histories of resilience and community synergies originated and located in particular areas of Marseille.  Challenging the city’s “mainstream” discourses, these genealogies re-narrated by an invited artist or a collective, inhabit the space of Tiers QG in a sequence of eight exhibitions and public programmes which take place over a year, from December 2019 to November 2020. Each exhibition lasts from 4 to 6 weeks.

Selected archives are used as starting points for artistic reflection and to create exhibitions. The public programme takes place around the exhibitions activating archives and reflecting on civic ecosystem of Marseille, as well as linking with international initiatives and practices.

Invisible Archives aims at reactivating these histories and stories through artistic perspectives, in the form of a dialogue, claiming the recognition of these extraordinary examples of citizen initiatives as a common heritage which is often invisible and ignored by institutions. The archives selected in the project represent only a part of the rich history and the remarkable practices of associations and civil initiatives in Marseille.

The consecutive exhibitions of the Invisible Archives programme are presented at the headquarters of Tiers Programme – Tiers QG, a former snack adjoining student lodgings in Belsunce neighbourhood. The complex transformation of the space was carried out by the students of the Ecole Supérieure d’Art et de Design Marseille-Méditerranée (ESADMM – College of Art and Design) under the guidance of Cookies, a design and architecture studio based in Rotterdam.

The project is generously supported by Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation and Drosos Foundation.

The Invisible Archives team : 

Yana Klichuk, Joana Monbaron, Primavera Gomes Caldas, Maéva Ngabou, Armelle Ambroggi, Fatima Djambae, Amna Guenzoui, Emilie Jaguin, Bachir Hassan, Gaila Cheraifia, Yasmine Goudjil et Jamila Boughanni