Finding myself becoming almost motherly toward an archive was, unexpectedly, not on the bingo card of my life—but I’m thrilled to have checked it off. In 2023, I accidentally adopted the Museum of Youth Culture’s archive during an internship with Ali Nasreldin. We discovered together, for the first time, what an archive could be, and were launched into the worlds of subculture, youth culture, and everything in between. Slowly but surely, my Cypriot mother’s knack for cleaning kicked in, and my obsessive need for organizing had finally found an appropriate home. Nearly two years later, I’m still here, with more knowledge than ever and a pretty handy skill for wrapping things in tissue paper.

Getting stuck into the museum’s archive is easy, thanks to the endless opportunities it presents. Whether the Losers MCC biker jacket, ’90s rave flyers, Y2K school leaver shirts or thousands of slides, there is so much to uncover every week. There is a specific thirst for knowledge that comes from being inside the collection, and it’s that which inspired this diary. I can’t help but want to visit and explore other archives' contents and practices— out of curiosity to inform my own work, but also to understand the motivations behind the guardians of these safe spaces. Whether they’re there by chance, out of resistance, or simply for the love of organization, there are many profound lessons to be learned in archives, not to mention the teachings of the archivists themselves.

So far, I’ve learned many things about archive life—some silly, others more significant. Purple nitrile gloves are your best friend. Archiving is easier than you think. Soft pencils are also your best friend. Archiving is an act of resistance. Everything has a life—whether it’s that silly little badge you got at a gig, your school planner that you forgot about, or the cherished photos of your family. To collect unconsciously is to archive. To reminisce and share stories with friends is an act of sharing oral histories, a form of archiving. I fear I’ll never see the world the same after stepping into this career—but that doesn’t feel like a bad thing.

Welcome to my thoughts. 

From Yeliz