Preservation practices of new media artists

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the preservation practices of new media artists, in particular those working outside of the scope of major collecting institutions, examining how these artists preserve new media artworks in their custody. Design/methodology/approach The paper builds case studies of seven new media artists of differing practices and artistic approaches. For each case study, semi-structured interviews with the artists were conducted in conjunction with visits to the artists’ studios. Findings The study finds that new media artists face a number of shared preservation challenges and employ a range of preservation strategies, and that these challenges and strategies differ markedly from that of art museums and cultural heritage institutions. Research limitations/implications This study considers preservation practices for new media artists generally. Further research into specific communities of artistic practice could profitably build upon this overall framework. Practical implications The findings of this research pose a number of implications for art museums and cultural heritage institutions, suggesting new ways these institutions might consider supporting the preservation of new media artworks before works enter into institutional custody. Originality/value The literature on new media art preservation emphasizes the importance of working with artists early in the life cycle of digital artworks. This study advances this by investigating preservation from the perspective of new media artists, deepening the understanding of challenges and potential preservation strategies for these artworks prior to entering or outside of institutional custody.

A Guided Tour Study of the Untidy but InspirationalPIMof Visual Artists

“…Recommendations for LIS professionals and cultural heritage institutions – Build educational programs for visual artists that cover PIM topics related to digital information, making research more visible and accessible (Molloy, 2021; Post, 2017b). Offer these courses at art schools, institutions that publicly call for submissions or offer grants to visual artists (as these require applications in digital formats) and professional training programs (e.g.…”

“…They use their personal archives for various professional activities, including applying for grants, making portfolios or artist statements and addressing estate concerns. At the same time, new media artists believed that making artwork was more important than thinking about preserving it for future generations (Post, 2017b).…”

“…Previous research also examined the long‐term preservation of new media artists and the collaboration between a local artist and an institution to preserve his personal information collection over the long term (Post, 2017b, 2017a). From these studies, we know that media artists keep original digital artworks and digital documentation of their artworks.…”

Information in the personal collections of writers and artists: Practices, challenges and preservation

“…How artists manage information in their personal collections can have an impact on the ways artwork is reused, transferred to collection institutions, perceived and preserved. Even though available resources provide preservation guidance to artists [45], research reports that artists' practices vary, and artists often report a lack of specialised knowledge and skills to create and maintain their personal archives or lack the motivation to do so [26,46]. Some artists develop their own preservation skills, but are interested in gaining preservation ideas from other artists and experts [47].…”

Audio Visual Digital Preservation Strategies: A case study in National Broadcasting Agency

“…It is one of the most fundamental functions of all research libraries to ensure that humanity's literary, scientific, and cultural record is preserved for future generations to read and appreciate. Post (2017) indicates that when it comes to preserving complex digital things, digital preservation procedures that work for simpler digital objects, such as refreshing storage media or moving objects to new file formats, must be significantly adjusted or specialized to achieve success. Thus, this process also will include the policies and procedures that will help the archivists to follow to ensure that they use only accurate methods during the preservation process.…”