Examining futuristic "archives" in "Fluidium"
The "archives" first shown in the comic, in episode 33.
Continuing from my last post, where I examined the so-called "archival reserve" in Meau, this post looks at the futuristic "archives" in Fluidium, another one of my favorite comics. "Archives" first appear in the 33rd episode, "Will this work?" where Jesse Janssens works to access records at the Belgian National Records to find out more about whether shifting "seamlessly between a male and female body," as noted in the webcomic's description, can be continued, rather than stopped, as happens after someone turns 21. Their friends are beside them, like Milo, Lake, and Professor Marsden Leti, the latter who is leading the effort. Jesse's id gets scanned, and they get access, able to "browse around the library" for specific information. [1] They are able to concentrate the search on anyone alive related to a person named Sigmund Alders, finding there are 78 people alive, narrowing it by those born in Belgium, sorting the into specific occupations, and work with their friend Lake, and end up with only six people. These are divided between Jesse, Milo, Lake, and Leti, where they can go to Belgium to find them.
Reprinted from my Wading Through the Cultural Stacks WordPress blog. Originally published on Mar. 20, 2021.
With that, let me begin my analysis of these issues of Fluidium and the role of archives.
For one, the robot at the "archives" resembles the one who talks to Milo in an earlier episode, [2] and relays messages to them, making me think the robots are related in terms how both are created, used, or something like that. What is being researched is taboo and is hidden in an attempt to supposedly stop civil unrest, and the records are only accessible to someone who is Belgian. [3] Jesse is intrigued by the idea, in the research, that both bodies can be kept, rather than being forced to discard one, of course, when first learning about it. They learned about from Lake, and later talked about it with their girlfriend, Rachel, in an earlier episode. [4]
Due to some interpersonal issues, though, Lake has to do the research on this on their own, and later finds the grandchild of Alders who is named Karel. [5] Jesse eventually agrees with Rachel and agrees to go meet this grandchild, while leaving her girlfriend in the hospital to recover from a fluid build-up after throwing her other body off a cliff in a car into the ocean.
While this story will undoubtedly continue as Fluidium moves forward, I doubt that archives will be shown again. For one, I think it is unfortunate that the Belgian National Records is shown as a library, when it appears to be more of an archives, or more accurately a records center, or perhaps just a depository. I think a lot of the archives-libraries confusion is related to people not knowing the difference between archives and libraries, to their peril.
As I noted on the about page of this blog, archives are somewhere you can gather firsthand information, evidence, and data, a collection of materials, with archivists trained specifically in preserving this material, possessing knowledge about records and their life cycle, engaging in analysis and research to make sure the records can be used by the public. Furthermore, records of many types are kept due their continuing value to those who created them, possible users, and serve as documentary evidence of the past, with an archives dedicated to preserving the heritage of a specific group, whether governmental, personal, corporate, or a community, for instance.
It should also be recognized that archives make their collections publicly available, have unpublished and published materials of lasting/long-term value, with archivists caring for the materials to preserve them for present and future use, which are unique and cannot be replaced, whether for research, reference, or another reason. Even so, archives may have printed items which aren't unique, but help give context to other records. For instance, the Maryland State Archives has a library which can be accessed by patrons, including books which have extracts of archival records and general histories, which can help in research. Additionally, materials to be preserved are identified, appraised, and made available, to ensure government accountability, support research, or serve as cultural memory institutions, for instance.
We do not see evidence that the Belgian National Records is anything like this. In fact, it is more like a library akin to something like the Library of Congress, or even a data center of some type. Hopefully this improves in future issues of Fluidium. But, I wouldn't hold my breath for that, because I have very low confidence that those who write about archives and/or archivists in popular culture will do it right, as it is often done wrong and detrimental for the archival field as a whole.
© 2022 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.
[1] Layla, "Belgian Records," Fluidium, episode 34, June 1, 2021.
[2] Layla, "Milo, where ya been?," Fluidium, episode 32, May 18, 2021.
[3] Layla, "Why do they need me?," Fluidium, episode 30, May 4, 2021; Layla, "Do people know?," Fluidium, episode 29, April 27, 2021.
[4] Layla, "Alders Theory," Fluidium, episode 26, April 6, 2021. The "Alders theory" is first mentioned in the 25th episode, "Flowers."
[5] Layla, "Is it too late?," Fluidium, episode 36, June 15, 2021; Layla, "Fluid Build-Up," episode 39, July 6, 2021; Layla, "Found Them," Fluidium, episode 40, July 13, 2021; Layla, "Heart or mind?," Fluidium, episode 41, July 20, 2021.
