Dear Discussion List,
This month’s theme is hosted by University of Sunderland doctoral researcher Georgia Smithson. Georgia is currently researching new models for collecting and distributing new media art within a regional gallery context.
How much is too much? How to know when to stop documenting
When we think of recent concerns raised by curators regarding the importance of learning how to collect new media art if there is to be any hope of preserving it, we look to documentation as an invaluable and essential tool to assist with curatorial activities such as preservation, display, installation and providing contextual information. In her 1951 publication, What is Documentation? librarian and documentalist Suzanne Briet (1894- 1989) viewed documentation as a ‘cultural technique’ that ‘addresses the needs of individual cultures of scientific disciplines and scholarly production, for the rapid and efficient delivery of documents toward scientific and scholarly advancement’. [1] Aware of the importance of standards, collaboration, and interoperability, but at that time unaware of the impact of technology upon art, her manifesto is regarded now, by some, as a ‘necessity for our time’.
Following on from Briet’s observation, Annet Dekker has broken down the purpose of documentation in the context of new media artworks into seven comprehensive sections as well as questioning what happens to it after it has been produced:
‘First, documentation produced for publicity and presentation; second, for purposes of reconstruction or preservation; third, for describing processual changes in the appearance of a work; fourth, for developing an aesthetical and/or a historical “framework” or reference; fifth, for educational purposes; sixth, for capturing audience experiences; and seventh, for capturing the creative or working process of the artist(s)’. [2]
As researchers, professionals, and promoters of collecting, displaying, and preserving new media art, we are all too aware of the role that documentation plays to ensure the demystification of the longevity of artworks, but how do we know when to stop? Can we become too involved with noting every single instruction, procedure, and detail so much that the documentation takes over the integrity of the original artwork? Does it become part of the artwork?
I would like participants to discuss ways in which they or their organisation manages documentation practices;
- who does it?
- how far do you go?
- what system/s do you use, and do they talk to each other?
- how much input does the artist have?
- has a lack of documentation ever led to an exhibition or loan of artwork being cancelled?
- do you lose sleep over missing elements of documentation?
So perhaps we can start with the first question, and feel free to add other questions as relevant: From your experience, 'Who does it and where do they sit within the organisational structure?'
[1] Briet, S. and Martinet, L., 2006. What is documentation?: English translation of the classic French text. Scarecrow Press.
[2] Dekker, Annet (2013) Enjoying the Gap: A Comparison of Contemporary Documentation Strategies. In: Julia Noordegraaf, Cosetta G. Saba, Barbara Le Maître, and Vinzenz Hediger (eds.) Methodologies of Multimedial Documentation and Archiving. Framing Film 4. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 149–95.
Invited Respondents:
Dr Rene Garcia- Cepeda is a curator and researcher and gained his PhD in interactive new media art curation and display from the University of Sunderland, UK. Rene runs the Manual for the Curation and Display of Interactive New Media Art. He is a lecturer at UNARTE College in Puebla, Mexico.
Janina Hoth investigates collaborative practices in art, science, and technology, combining digital humanities, art history, ethnography, and philosophy of science. She currently writes her PhD at the School of Creative Media, City University, Hong Kong.
Emma Dickson is a U.S. based data engineer, time-based media technician and artist. They are fascinated by outdated technology and the process of translation and obsolescence in technical languages. They currently work at Artsy as a data engineer and Webrecorder as a general developer.
Daniela Mibashan is an artist and (starting) curator based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her thesis focuses on artist documentation.
Ben Evans James is a filmmaker and curator. He is the film curator at Transmedia Festival, Berlin and co-runs South Kiosk art space in London. Ben’s films have premiered major international festivals including Visions du Réel, Edinburgh International Film Festival and Sheffield Doc Fest. He has screened at galleries including MoMA, New York, and the HKW, Berlin.
Justin Harvey is an Australia- based media artist and academic working across moving image, sound, and installation.
justinharvey.art Animpossiblepresent.com<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fanimpossiblepresent.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C23d9b775244f439f15dc08d9107298a9%7C16a0d960ee744f56a22a19ae057918b2%7C0%7C0%7C637558906633353375%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=PRrKV2kwU40dptsaqeZajVlI4HTUIY6gFy5ASl7hxLc%3D&reserved=0>
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