How the archive handles evidence

The archive treats provenance as a working record, not a decorative citation. Its method asks where a claim came from, what can be checked, and how the material is used in the exhibition.

A provenance record distinguishes Origin, Status, and Use; the studio method is described at /method.

Origin identifies where a document, image, object record, or statement came from. Status records whether it is directly documented, inferred, disputed, or still open. Use explains the role it plays in a particular page or exhibition route.

These fields do not turn a weak source into a strong one. They make the limit visible so a reader can distinguish a surviving record from an editorial reconstruction.

The studio method moves through six stages: frame the question, map the available material, record provenance, separate evidence layers, design a readable route, and lock a release. The full description is on /method.

In a workshop, this means a historical narrative should not hide a missing document or present a visual reconstruction as if it were an archival photograph.

Start from the relevant workshop, follow its cited objects or documents where available, and note what the page says remains unsettled. A concise answer can orient a reader, but it cannot replace a primary source or a full provenance record.