Obsolescence of equipment in artworks using computer components

PACKED will present its research project Obsolete Equipment: Preservation of Display and Playback Equipment for Audiovisual Art conducted in collaboration with the Netherlands Media Art Institute (NIMk) in Amsterdam (01/07/2009 - 30/06/2011). The project aimed to improve the long-term preservation of works threatened by obsolescence, as well as the equipment necessary to view the works. The project focused first on a series of video installations, then on works that integrated computer components. The final objective of the project was to collect as much documentation and resources as possible in order to establish a list of practical recommendations for the preservation of equipment. The presentation will discuss the methodology and progression of the second phase of the project, using case studies selected from the collections of the project's partner institutions.

 


Biography
Emanuel Lorrain holds degrees from the École Nationale Supérieure d'Art in Bourges and the Department of Archives and Images at the University of Toulouse II le Mirail. Since August 2009, he works for PACKED vzw, an umbrella organization and platform for developing and disseminating knowledge about the preservation of audio-visual arts, founded in 2005 by four Flemish art institutions (Argos – Center for Art and Media, M KHA, Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens and S.M.A.K.). In 2011, PACKED vzw became the Center of Expertise in Digital Heritage, whose role is to offer broader assistance to heritage and cultural institutions in Flanders. Since 2005, it has also focused on building an international network through collaboration with foreign institutes such as the Netherlands Media Art Institute and participation in several European projects related to Europeana such as Athena and Linked Heritage. From 2011 to 2013, PACKED is coordinating the project DCA - Digitising Contemporary Art, supported by the European Commission, which brings together 25 partners, including 21 contemporary art collections based in 12 different countries.