Activating the Archive: Margaret Perry’s Nova Scotia Promotional Films (1945-1969)
Wednesday, September 21, 2022, 7:00 pm (Atlantic), Halifax Central Library (Lindsay Children’s Room, 2nd floor) or click here to join via Zoom
Phyllis R. Blakeley Memorial Lecture
Jennifer VanderBurgh, Department of English Language and Literature, Saint Mary’s University
Abstract: This talk is part of a week of screenings, exhibitions, and special events to mark the new, digital release of over 50 films made between 1945-1969 by Nova Scotia government filmmaker, Margaret Perry. These promotional films are complex artefacts that articulate and reflect understandings of government policies, cultural discourses, as well as Perry’s own perspectives and artistic voice. Jennifer VanderBurgh has been working to activate this collection housed at Nova Scotia Archives. Her research reframes and animates these “government films” and encourages us to expand our understandings of their significance. This lecture will introduce the collection, the process of activating it, as well the discovery of new materials that bring more information to light about Perry’s artistic development and filmmaking practice. It will also consider some of the ethical complexities and considerations that are at stake in reviving this collection today.