The Archive Is a Dream Machine: a Workshop in Speculative Archival Research
Time: Oct. 14, 2026, 4 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Location: SCRC, 6th Floor Bird Library
Part of the Syracuse Symposium series.
Join Light Work UVP for a hands-on filmmaking workshop lead by Tamika Galanis using archival materials from the Syracuse University Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) related to her latest film, By the Skin of Her Teeth, exploring the history of abolition in Syracuse and Harriet Powell’s escape via Syracuse to Ontario in 1839.
The workshop will consider how to approach subjects like Harriet’s story, where there is scant material available and research must be combined with speculation, or what Saidiya Hartman has called critical “confabulation,” in order to tell the story.
No filmmaking experience required! Workshop is free, but registration is required.
RELATED: public film screening and artist talk with Galanis on Oct. 15