MA student Sarah Wolff has joined the Quarantine team for three months to help us manage the archive of work which spans our 17-year history. We asked Sarah to write a little bit about her experience of working with us so far….
I am currently in my second and final semester working towards a MA in Screen Studies. When I learned about the opportunity of doing a placement as part of my Master’s degree at the University of Manchester, I immediately knew that it would not just be beneficial to my CV to take it. However, with my main interests lying in film rather than theatre, finding a suitable placement from within the drama department started off as being relatively difficult. I decided to apply for Quarantine’s archive assistant placement because I knew that in archiving I could gain some skills that were relevant to my field of specialism.
I entered the Islington Mill with only a slight idea of what to expect, and since then I have got to know the company and what it stands for a little bit better through archiving material from their catalogue of projects. In the process I have had to mentally redefine my understanding of the term ‘theatre’ approximately 150 times until I came to the conclusion that – for me – this is what Quarantine is about: the potential inherent in the changing perspectives on art & the artist in this world to create something that resonates in present and future. (I’ve probably not quite figured it out yet, but as long as it keeps me thinking I shouldn’t be completely wrong?)
I am helping to realise an exciting new project that came about through Arts Council England’s Catalyst programme. Quarantine are collaborating with Forced Entertainment and Gob Squad to create a platform for a number artists and institutions to share their knowledge of alternative, independent funding for the arts. Starting research on the project this week, I feel particularly lucky to be part of it from the very beginning. I am generally confident that by the end of my time at Quarantine I will have successfully disposed of my outsider’s perspective and gained new approaches to administrative work as well as the process of creative thinking.
