UCLA Modern Endangered Archives Program

The Center for Art and Archaeology (CA&A) of the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) maintains an archive with more than 2,00,000 images of Indic art and architecture. This collection includes digitized negatives created by field experts and professional photographers during research surveys between 1966 and 1990. The images document heritage buildings in various Indian states (Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, etc) that are decayed, damaged, or inaccessible. Also included are images of rare terracotta sculptures unearthed in excavations conducted at archaeological sites in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, …

Institution: UCLA, Modern Endangered Archives Program

Following WWII, the government of Albania centered itself on isolationist politics, which separated the country from not only political, but also cultural influences of others. This caused Albanian culture, including film, to follow a strict set of ideologies and aesthetics. Despite media restrictions and enforced censorship, Albanian filmmakers created and shared stories, defining a distinct approach to creating films.

Institution: UCLA, Modern Endangered Archives Program

The Arab Image Foundation (AIF) has selected a collection of negatives, including cellulose acetate and cellulose nitrate films, for digitization that represents a large range of photography methods--from commercial studio use by professionals to personal use (e.g. family shots) by non-professionals. The materials represent a visual and social history of Lebanon and the Middle East that showcases the diversity and complexity of cultural practices captured via photography. Through the AIF's digitized work, users can access not just the practice of photography in Lebanon, but also a wider range of concepts representations of self-image, intimacy, domesticity, and the development of modernity …

Institution: UCLA, Modern Endangered Archives Program