Conservation and restoration of time-based media art
Preservation and Conservation of Time-based Media Art
Preservation and Conservation of Time-Based Media Art is the study and practice of conserving time-based media. Time-based media is any media that takes time to view, in other words it has a dimension of duration (e.g. five minutes and 10 seconds). Time based-media also contains a technology component, as hardware will be required to view the work [1]. Time-based media art may be made on a physical media, such as film stock, by a digital means, or a combination of the two. Examples of time-based media include “video and sound artworks, film or slide-based installations, software-based art and other forms of technology-based artworks, many of which can also be regarded as installation art” [1]. For this reason, time-based media preservation is a complex undertaking within the field of conservation that includes understanding both physical and digital conservation methods. Works containing video and/or audio may at times be referred to as 4D (four-dimensional), referencing time as the fourth dimension. Some time-based media works may overlap, in some respects, with New Media Art [1].
"Time-based media conservation aims to determine and monitor the acceptable degree of short-, middle-, and long-term change that an artwork may undergo in response to different display environments, technological developments, curatorial and exhibition-design concepts, or technicians’ preferences" Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page)..
Treatment of Physical Objects
Time-based media conservators will treat a variety of objects, including film reels, audio tape, VHS.
Digital Preservation
Time-based media art that either has an inherent digital component (i.e. a born-digital work) or has been digitized will have the need to be preserved digitally. While this work may not entirely be completed by the conservator, conservators will be aware of the methods used to preserve digital media. The Variable Media Approach offers a way in which to visualize and actualize the digital preservation process.
The variable media approach is a methodology that approaches a work as independent from its media, so that is may be thought of as a behavior and not something tied to its hardware [2]. The approach encompasses four aspects: Storage, Migration, Emulation, and Reinterpretation.
Education and Outreach
Access
Public Programs
Community Outreach
Many organizations will preserve films that are of importance to their own region [3].
Education and Training
There are few conservation programs specific to time-based media art, but the University of the Arts in Bern, Switzerland offers an MA program for the Conservation of Modern Materials and Media. Programs that include some aspect of time-based media include The Selznick Graduate Program in Film and Media Preservation at the University of Rochester in New York and New York University's Moving Image Archiving and Preservation program.
The Independent Media Arts Preservation (IMAP) offers training in media preservation.
Organizations and Professional Societies
AIC Electronic Media Group [2]
Resources
Related
References
- ^ a b Smithsonian Institution. (n.d.). Time-Based Media Art at the Smithsonian. Retrieved from http://www.si.edu/tbma/about
- ^ Depocas, Alain (2003). The Guggenheim Museum and the Daniel Langlois Foundation: The Variable Media Network. Retrieved from http://www.fondation-langlois.org/html/e/page.php?NumPage=98
- ^ National Film Preservation Foundation (2004). The Film Preservation Guide: The basics for archives, libraries, and museums. San Francisco, CA: National Film Preservation Foundation.