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Wendy Russell

@archiveswendy.bsky.social

250 followers 180 following 57 posts

Archivist at British Film Institute Special Collections Also working on Women’s Screen Work in the Archives Made Visible @womensscreenwork.bsky.social‬

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Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Nov 20

Might as well plug the book I co-edited with the excellent Sue Breakell @designarchives.bsky.social
The Materiality of the Archive: Creative Practice in Context. And it's open access!

The Materiality of the Archive: Creative Practice in Context

The Materiality of the Archive is the first volume to bring together a range of methodological approaches to the materiality of archives, as a framework for their engagement, analysis and interpretati...

www.routledge.com

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Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · 1d

Interesting training event at TNA: PAST Surveillance and Society: Reading records against the grain - Participants are invited to critically engage with case studies of a broad range of 20th century surveillance records at the archives www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/past-surve...

PAST Surveillance and Society: Reading records against the grain

Participants are invited to critically engage with case studies of a broad range of 20th century surveillance records at the archives

www.eventbrite.co.uk

Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · 9d

www.bfi.org.uk/inside-the-a...

Inside the Archive #44: Heritage Open Day reflections part one

In part one of a special, two-part edition of the blog, colleagues discuss their contributions to this year’s hugely popular open day.

www.bfi.org.uk

Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · 28d

Very pleased that the book Sue and I edited, The Materiality of the Archive: Creative Practice in Context, has just come out in paperback (so a bit cheaper!).

www.routledge.com/The-Material...

The Materiality of the Archive: Creative Practice in Context

www.routledge.com

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Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Aug 30

The British Museum is also to be held responsible for this decision - they should care about the potential/probably damage as much as the French conservators. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

‘La tapisserie, c’est moi’: Macron accused of putting politics first in Bayeux tapestry loan

Organiser of petition says French president ignoring expert advice that artefact too fragile to be transported to UK

www.theguardian.com

Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Aug 19

www.bfi.org.uk/features/sho...

The shooting script for Sally Potter’s Orlando

Packed with notes, sketches and Polaroids, this shooting script for Sally Potter’s film of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando illustrates the complexity of one of cinema’s undersung roles: the script supervisor...

www.bfi.org.uk

Reposted by Wendy Russell

Alan Lester @alanlester.bsky.social · Aug 16

Interesting & critical review of the new V&A Storehouse by @profdanhicks.bsky.social

artreview.com/what-isnt-at...

What Isn’t at the V&A Storehouse

You can’t escape it: this is the same colonial museum we know, in a shiny new suit

artreview.com

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Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Aug 14

Laura Mulvey to receive the BFI Fellowship this year:
www.bfi.org.uk/news/laura-m...

Laura Mulvey to receive a BFI Fellowship

The BFI’s highest honour recognises the huge global impact of Mulvey’s work through her groundbreaking writing and filmmaking, including her seminal essay ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’.

www.bfi.org.uk

Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Aug 11

www.archiveslab.org/get-involved...

archives & digital media lab - volunteer call

volunteer call help us fight erasure & archive against genocide from Palestine to Lebanon

www.archiveslab.org

Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Aug 8

It's that time again, The BFI National Archive will be opening it's doors for a behind the scenes days of tours for Heritage Open Day 2025 www.tickettailor.com/events/bfihe...

Select tickets – BFI National Archive | Heritage Open Day – BFI National Archive

IMPORTANT TICKET INFORMATION Your entrance ticket will give you an hour-long time slot for entry. Once inside the Conservation ...

www.tickettailor.com

Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Aug 8

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/experiment...

Experimental Archives Conference - Kingston University, Uk

Come explore the innovative and boundary-pushing world of experimental archives at Kingston University on 11th and 12th September 2025!

www.eventbrite.co.uk

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Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Aug 7

Whilst I generally avoid arguing with idiots on social media, I can’t help feeling very happy that I’ve just irritated a transphobe by telling her to ‘talk to the hand cos the face ain’t listening’. Maybe it’s the wine as I know it’s a silly comeback.

Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Aug 4

www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

Woman’s memoirs give fascinating insight into life in 17th-century northern England

Newly reunited manuscripts by Alice Thornton show how she navigated personal crises during tumultuous events such as the civil war

www.theguardian.com

Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Aug 1

Home working in school hols:
Me: I'm working & need to concentrate, don't interrupt for a bit.
5 mins later son runs to me:
Son: There's a big problem.
Me: What?
Son: I don't know how to say it, but I need you to come.
Me: Just tell me what it is.
Son: I've got a bit of slime stuck to a newspaper.

Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Jul 29

'Failure of aid'. What a joke this guy is.

Reposted by Wendy Russell

Martin Rosenbaum @mrosenbaum.bsky.social · Jul 24

The ICO is taking action against the Cabinet Office because of lengthy and unexplained FOI delays. In a new practice recommendation the ICO is highly critical of the Cabinet Office approach to FOI, telling it to supply quarterly updates for monitoring of its future performance.

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Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Jul 29

Our brilliant @womensscreenwork.bsky.social post-doc researcher, Jessica Boyall, wrote an excellent piece on Gurinder Chadha for the Recent BFI Blu-ray release of Bhaji on the Beach. Jessica is working on the Gurinder Chadha Collection for the WSW project.

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Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Jul 17

The wonderful Connie Francis has passed away. One of my favourite records to listen to growing up was my mum's Connie Francis album.
Such a tragic life.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a5i...

Connie Francis Everybody's Somebody's Fool (HQ Stereo) (1962)

YouTube video by Billscustomsounds William Merz

www.youtube.com

Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Jul 2

Academia.edu informed me they have an AI review of my book. Out of curiosity, I looked at it. What a depressing experience to read a computer generated 'review' What's worse is that others may read this and accept it as is. Soulless.

Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Jul 1

Our amazing BFI Special Collections Archives Assistant, Eva Norton, wrote this week's Object of the Week, a promotional still for the lost silent romcom Swim Girl, Swim
www.bfi.org.uk/features/obj...

Object of the week: promotional still for the lost silent romcom Swim Girl, Swim

Currently on display as part of the Design Museum’s celebration of a century of swimming style, this 1920s promo image offers a tantalising glimpse of a sadly lost silent feature starring Bebe Daniels...

www.bfi.org.uk

Reposted by Wendy Russell

Yasmin G @anilsghost.bsky.social · Jun 27

Bringing together the many ‘cides’ inflicted on Palestine with the hope of the ‘accidental and piecemeal archive’

newlinesmag.com/essays/histo...

Historicide in Gaza

Israel’s destruction of official and personal archives is changing how Palestine’s story can be told

newlinesmag.com

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Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Jun 25

Overheard snippet of a phone conversation on the train tonight:
"I have to let my facial hair grow out for the film"
Person on the other end of the phone responds. Then he says, in a mildly irate tone
"Well, I don't really have a choice, do I?"
Guessing his partner doesn't like a hairy man.

Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Jun 24

The BFI National Archive's first Object of the Week!
This piece is by my wonderful former boss, Nathalie Morris. The wallpaper has had some excellent conservation work by or brilliant paper conservator, Tabitha Austin: www.bfi.org.uk/features/obj...

Object of the week: The Red Shoes wallpaper by the film’s designer Hein Heckroth

In the first of a new series showcasing treasures from the BFI National Archive, we put a spotlight on some big-statement interior decoration: 1950s wallpaper inspired by Powell and Pressburger’s clas...

www.bfi.org.uk

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Reposted by Wendy Russell

🗃️ Women’s Screen Work in Archives Made Visible @womensscreenwork.bsky.social · Jun 20

It was so great to be at #DWFTH7 in Lincoln and to present our project’s first steps. Thanks for the insightful comments and discussion from the audience #womensscreenwork #femfilmhistory #archives @bdcmuseum.bsky.social @bellecobb.bsky.social @archiveswendy.bsky.social

Helen Hanson, Project Lead of the Women’s Screen Work in Archives Made Visible introduces the project and the team. Pictured are the team Linda Ruth Williams, Shelley Cobb, Phil Wickham, Wendy Russell and Helen Hanson, Katie Crosson and Jessica Boyall. The team are photographed in the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum lower galleries. Also pictured is the BFI Archive at Berkhamsted and the Exterior of the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum at the University of Exeter

Jessica Boyall pictured outlining our project archive strand

Shelley Cobb and Linda Ruth Williams outline plans to interview filmmaker donors

Lisa Smithstead introduces the project aims to interview archivists and curators

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Wendy Russell @archiveswendy.bsky.social · Jun 18

Our AHRC Project Women's Screen Work in the Archives Made Visible now has a bluesky account! Do follow @womensscreenwork.bsky.social

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Reposted by Wendy Russell

London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · Jun 18

‘For a largely self-taught young woman of that period, such a career was remarkable – near impossible for a Black woman. But Greene moved through the world as white.’

Francesca Wade on Belle da Costa Greene, J.P. Morgan’s librarian at the turn of the 20th century:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Francesca Wade · Why waste time hot airing? The Best-Paid Woman in NYC

Belle da Costa Greene was a trainee librarian at Princeton University when J.P. Morgan hired her to dust and pack his...

www.lrb.co.uk

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