'The Category of Fashion...': lecture by Mark Cousins, 20th February, 1998

Extent: 1 audio cassette (90mins), 4 digital files (671.7 MB)

Comprises audio recording of a lecture entitled 'The Category of Fashion in its Operation' given by Mark Cousins on 20th February 1998. Recordings consist of a Maxwell 90 audio cassette tape, 2 digital preservation files (547.6 MB, .wav format) and 2 digital access files (124.1 MB, .mp3 format). Duration of access version: 51min 32sec.

Copyright: Architectural Association

Creator: Mark Cousins

Admin History: The recording is of the 12th lecture in the series entitled 'The New', given by Mark Cousins as part of the AA General Studies programme, 1997-98. In this lecture, Mark Cousins focuses on the category of fashion and it's characteristics as a social practice and in relation to the question of 'the New'. He considers hostility to fashion and argues that fashion has an anti-historical passion that attempts to privilege the present. In other words, the category of fashion renders the past either unintelligible or undesirable. Cousins also debates the undialectical nature of fashion, as well as the mechanisms of personal identity. Finally, he declares that this is based upon a type of identification that has no history; and this identification abolishes the history of failure.

Custodial History: Audio cassette recording was made by the AA Audio Visual Department and retained by the AA Photo Library until 2019, when it was transferred to the AA Archives.

Aquisition: Audio cassette was transferred from the AA Photo Library to the AA Archives in 2019. Digital preservation and access copies were created by the AA Archives in 2021.

Archive Note: Catalogue description by Samaneh Karimelahi

Publication Note: AA Events List, Spring Term, Week 6, 16-20th February, 1998