Longevity of Electronic Art Howard Besser '*' (*) UCLA, School of Education and Information Studies, Los Angeles (CA). USA E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT from Hobbes, 'nasty, brutish and short."' This paper explores the problems of [I] As the problem of digital longevity maintaining accessibility to electronic had repercussions within the arts works of art' over time. It examines the community as wcll, the Getty various hardware and software issues Conservation Institute and Getty surrounding digital longevity, then Information Institute collaborated with discusses the special characteristics of leading technologists to put together a electronic art that make it much more conference and book trying to broadly problematic to preserve than more outline and bring attention to the coi~ventionaltypes of works. Finally, problem [2]. Both of these seminal the author offers up a new paradigm for works grappled with the broad problem approaching preservation of these types of digital preservation, but neither of works, and suggests some directly tackled the problem of how to concretelpragmatic steps that can be conserve a complex work of art taken to preserve this type of material. originating in digital form.

KEYWORDS: preservation, digital Electronic works (such as moving image longevity, electronic art, conservation materials, multimedia, interactive programs, and computer-generated art) BACKGROUND AND PROBLEMS OF have very different characteristics from DIGITAL LONGEVITY physical artifacts (such as oil paintings, In the mid-1990s the library community vases, sculptures, and manuscripts). began to worry about the fragility of From a conservation perspective, works stored in digital form. The electronic works have more Commissio~ron Preservation and Access characteristics in common with and the Research Libraries Group performance art, conceptual art, site- formed a task force to explore how specific installations, and experimental significant this problem really was. The art. Like performance art, electronic Task Force report sounded an alarm works are usually difficult to capture, "Rapid changes in the means of and (as examples later in this article will recording information, in the fonnats for demonstrate), in many cases it's not even storage, and in the technologies for use clear what elements need to be captured. threaten to render the life of information The long-standing preservation in the digital age as, to borrow a phrase tcchniques developed for physical artifacts do address the problem of I This paper deals with all forms of art preserving electronic works. originating and delivered in electronic Electronic works are encoded and form, but a high degree of emphasis is usually stored on a physical storage placed on art originating and delivered devices such as a digital or analog tape. in d~gitalform. ichim 01

~ CULTURAL HERITAGE and TECHNOLOGIES in the THIRD MILLENNIUM

The most obvious impediment to medi~m.~Because physical storage electronic longevity is what this author devices (even CD ROMs) decay, and has termed "the viewing problem" [3]. because technological changes make While the default for physical artifacts is older storage devices (such as 8 inch to persist (or deteriorate in slow floppy drives) inaccessible to new increments), the default for electronic computers, some ongoing form of objects is to become inaccessible unless refreshing is likely to be necessary for someone takes an immediate pro-active many years to come [3]. Besides raising role to save them. Thus. we can the issue of assuring authenticity (see discover and study 3,000 year old cave authenticity discussion below), this paintings and pottery (even though the suggested approach ignores the even potteiy may be in shards that we need to more substantial problem of constantly piece together). But we're unable to changing file fonnats. even decipher any of the contents of an electronic file on an 8-inch floppy disk Transferring files to new physical from only 20 years ago. storage devices has no impact whatsoever on the rapid obsolescence of The most obvious problem for file formats. Word processing files preserving electronic information is the (which are primarily ascii text, and thus obsolescence of physical storage much simpler formats than images or formats. The office world has gone multimedia) are generally readable for through transitions of digital storage half a dozen years after they are created. devices from 8-inch floppy disks, to But even these word processing formats 5.25-inch floppies, to 3-inch diskettes, to become inaccessible after a dozen years. CD-ROMs, to DVDs. Digital artists, Fifteen years ago Wordstar had (by far) requiring larger file sizes, have also used the largest market penetration of any a variety of optical storage disks, DAT, word processing program. But few Syquest, Zip, CDRW, etc. But these people today can read any of the many storage devices become obsolete very millions of Wordstar files, even when quickly, and today it's very difficult to those have been transferred onto find a drive for one of these storage contemporary computer hard disks. devices that will work with a Even today's popular word processing contemporary computer. For digital applications (such as Microsoft Word) works, technologists offer the "solution" typically cannot view files created any that we need merely copy a file onto a further back than two previous versions new physical storage medium as the old of the same application (and sometimes medium becomes obsolete. (After all, these still lose important formatting). unlike analog technologies, we can Image and multimedia formats, lacking recopy a digital file onto a new medium an underlying basis of ascii text, pose without any of the content deteriorating.) much greater obsolescence problems, as each format chooses to code image, This concept of Refreshing (first outlined in [I]) involves periodically moving a file from one physical storage Refreshing is not viable for analog medium to another to avoid the physical storage, as each successive copy is decay or the obsolescence of that inferior to the previous copy. Typically, 4'h generation video copies have lost so much information that they're unviewable. ichim 01

~ . ~- CULTURAL HERITAGE and TECHNOLOGIES ~n the THIRD MILLENNIUM sound, or control (synching) As the Worldwide Web dramatically representation in a different way. demonstrates, information is increasingly inter-related to other Two key approaches have been information. Any given web page proposed to deal with the problem of typically contains links to numerous changing file formats [I]: migration other web pages. These links are and emulation. These are seen as important to the content, meaning, and alternatives to one another, but both contextualization of that web page, yet approaches are supposed to be used in the pages that are linked to are likely to conjunction with refreshing. change their location or content over even a short period of time. According Migration is an approach that involves to Internet Archivist Brewster Kahle, in periodically moving files ftom one file 1997 the average Web document lasted encoding format to another that is only 75 days [7]. (Indeed, the most uscable in a more modern computing common message on the Worldwide environment. (An example would be Web is "404 File Not Found", indicating moving a Wordstar file to Wordperfect, that the pointed-to file has been moved then to Word 3.0, then to Word 5.0, then or removed.) In attempting to preserve a to Word 97.) Migration seeks to limit web-based work of art, one may need to the problem of tiles encoded in a wide capture all the web pages pointed to by variety of file formats that have existed that work at the time of creation (and over time by gradually bringing all ileratively, all the pages that those pages former formats into a limited number of point to as well). This task may prove to contemporary fonnats. be huge (and possibly intractable).

E~izulatiorz seeks to solve a similar This boundary issue even exists within problem that migration addresses, but its the interlinked pages of a given artist's approach is to focus on the applications own website. It is not uncommon for a software rathcr than on the files piece of web art to consist of literally containing information. Emulation hundreds of web pages all interlinked to backers want to build software that one another. Nested works (whole mimics every type of application that works completely embedded within has ever been written for every type of larger works), overlapping works (with tile format. and make them run on some pages being part of more than one whatever the current computing work) and inter-woven works are all environment is. (So, with the proper forms of web art. In addition, even a emulators, applications like Wordstar web page without user-clickable links and Word 3.0 could effectively run on can incorporate source material from today's machines.) Emulation is most many different files (with still images, closely associated with the writings of moving images, and animations all Rand scientist Jeff Rothenberg [4][5][6]. coming from different physical files, some of which may be on websites not TWO PROBLEMS PARTICULARLY controlled by the artist). In a profound GERMANE TO ELECTRONIC ART leap, the re-use and recontextualization Two other problems particularly of pieces which has been a major theme germane to electronic art are what this in 201h century art (from early century author has termed "the inter-relational collage, to Dada, to Pop, through problem" and "the translation problem" Postmodernism) has reached a new level PI. on the Worldwide Web where works that one would be able to even find a can actually incorporate other works by working CRT screen. For some linking to them instead of copying them electronic works (certainly for those that (and the referencing works will instantly concern themselves with the "look" of a incorporate any changes in the works CRT), attempting to display that work that they reference). Conservators on a flat-panel screen would result in seeking to preserve digital works need to something that the artist would regard as be careful about where the boundaries of poor reproduction of his or her work those works really are. This is part of (perhaps akin to a photograph of an oil the larger issue of what the work really painting). For one of his pieces that is (discussed below). opened in the new Tate Modern Museum, artist Gary Hill told the Another important issue is how a work museum that they can replace fading translated into new delivery deviccs CRT screens with other similar-sized changes meaning (the translation CRT screcns, but he was adamant that problem). While a lay person may replacing any of them with flat-panel occasionally confuse the two, people in screens would significantly alter the the cultural heritage community arc meaning of his work [lo]. clear that a photograph or poster of an oil painting is definitely different than Historically, the display of a work of art the painting itself. We clearly was closely tied to the medium that artist understand that a reproduction of a work used to construct it. Display conditions (particularly changing into another have traditionally been fairly format) may convey certain predictable, with viewing conditions characteristics of that work, but is varying primarily due to cffects such as dramatically different than that work. different lighting. Even with the advent The faithfulness of the photographic of non-installation video art (which rcproduction processes has raised funct~onallyseparated the display [CRT] questions about differences between from the work [on tape]), that artist originals and reproductions [8][9], could still expect that any display dcvice particularly of photographs. But those would have a very limited set of of us in the cultural heritage community predictable characteristics (a tube/CRT). still recognize that a digitized The separation of a work from its photograph displayed on a screen is display is a key part of the digital quite different from the paper-based revolution, and future non-installation photograph it was digitized from, or that digital works will likely be able to be a motion picture tilrn converted and displayed on a wide array of devices that shown on a vidco screen is quite will emerge in the coming years. different from the original film. Museurn curators and conservators will need to struggle with deciding when a Today, no st electronic works of art particular display device is an important (both analog and digital) are displayed characteristic of a work. and when a on cathode-ray tube screcns (CRTs). particular form of playback may be With the advent of liquid-crystal and intrinsic to the work. (As will be noted other flat-panel display units, a decade below, this is one of several arguments from now CRT screens may be as rare for involving the artist in decision- as black and white monitors are today. making that will become important to And fifty years from now it is unlikely digital conservation activities.) Curators will also need to make plans of how to shift fiorn the paradigm of repairing and preserve the appropriate device, as well saving a physical object to that of as how to indicate to future museum maintaining a set of discrnbodied artistic staff that they need to display this work content over time. on a particular type of device. Web-based works are often dynamic; CONSERVATION CHALLENGES: pieces of a work may be constantly SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF changing, either because the art is a ELECTRONIC ART "work in progress" that an artist may Electronic Art poses enormous want to alter pcriodically over some challenges for conservators. Some of period of time, or becausc the artist the problcn~s are endemic to all wants a completed work to periodically electronic works, while others are change over time due to the actions of specific to electronic works of art. As a others. Artists sometimes purposely number of other writings have examined inject elements of controlled chance into longevity challenges for works outside web-based art by making their work the art world point to web pages that may be [3][1 1][5][12][13][14][1][15], this paper periodically changed by others. Both will put more emphasis on problems these strains of dynamism pose serious poscd by electronic works of art. In this challenges to a conservator trying to section we will briefly describe a preserve such a work. Conservation Iiandfi~lof these challenges. Not all of approaches to previous types of dynamic these challenges are posed by all types works can provide helpful insight, but of electronic art (some are confined only are by themselves inadequate for dealing to digital works, others are confined to with this problem. (For example, the web-based art, and some are confined to dynamism associated with a John Cage just part~cularworks and not to every piece can be captured by a combination work of a particular type). Wherever of a rigid formula coupled with possible, we will try to indicate mhich examples. With a Cage piece, the classes of works this applies to. conservator's knowledge of the artist's intentions permits the adcquate capture Electronic works lack fixity. As of the work as the artist intended it. Few mentioned in the "translation problem" creators of' web-based works offer the discussion (above), non-installation level of explanation of their intentions electronic art is independent of the that Cage does.) device that is used to view it. The work is stored on analog tapes or a set of As we have seen in the discussion of digital files which may be reproduced "the inter-relational problem' (above), (or even mass-produced). The likely web-based works pose significant inability to distinguish between an questions as to what is the boundary of "original" and a "copy" will have a a work. Pieces that link to other pieces, profound effect on museums, one and may lead a viewer from one website rivaling the effect that photographic to another pose problems for anyone reproduction had on art [8 ][I 6][9]. This trying to capturc and preserve a work. will cause a paradigm shift in how a Anyone who has tricd to download a museum views its holdings (as relatively complex web-based work onto a laptop unique original objects) and how the to show that work without an Internet museum certifies their authenticity (see connection can attest to the difficulties below). Conservators will also have to ichim 01

~ ~ -- CULTURAI. HERITAGE and TECHNOLOGIES in the THIRD MILLENNIUM in making sure that everything necessary was downloaded properly. Conservators face a real challenge in assessing the proper boundaries in trying to capture a web-based work. As we have seen from the discussion of Figure 1 : Electronic Cafe's Hole "the translation problem" (above), we in Space can expect that today's electronic art will be viewed on very different systems in Electronic works pose a serious the future. Conservators need to work challenge of guaranteeing authenticity with curators and artists to be aware of over time. Traditionally, our method of certain critical formal elements of the guaranteeing authenticity was through work (pacing, color, aspect ratio, format, the custodialship of an artifact. etc.) that may need to be resurrected in Ancillary documentation was any hture viewing situation. Some such occasionally used to support- provenance- elements may be so intrinsic to the work disputes, but authenticity was primarily that the artist would deny authorship of a based upon a chain of custody from one preserved work having one of these trusted owner to another. But because elements changed. For example, at the the physical strata for an electronic work Getty's Time & Bits Conference [2], has such a short life, our conception of Jaron Lanier recounted the story of a an electronic work is no longer cult of kids who had constructed an embodied in a .~hvsical < artifact, but emulator to run one of his earliest instead in a stream of analog or digital con~puter When Lanier went to data. For preserving digital works, we visit and watch them playing it, he have shifted our conservation practices contended that this was not the game as away from the physical artifact (through he had designed it. Contemporary periodic refreshing). But we have not computer processors made the game run yet developed sophisticated approaches much faster, and that faster pacing for assuring the authenticity of a work. transformed the piece into something he The lack of fixity means that there could refused to accept as his work. be many different copies of a work, and Conservators need to not only note if these differ from one another, which is which of the formal elements are the "real" work? Even though it is not important to a work, but they may then likely to occur frequently, refreshing need to work with technologists to make might occasionally alter a work. And sure that they maintain the data the malleability of a digital work means necessaiy in order to resurrect these that someone could easily re-edit or formal elements. eliminate material in a copy and pass this off as the original. A more detailed discussion of authenticity issues is Ironically, this was a game that the available in [17]. Boston Computer Museum had wanted to put on exhibit but couldn't because, Perhaps the most important challenge though Lanier could supply the software facing those trying to preserve an and the Museum could find the out- electronic artwork is "What really is dated computer (TRS-80), no one could the work?" This can be a much larger find the right model of joystick that problem than the fixity, dynamic, would work with that combination of boundary, and formal issues raised hardware and software. ichim 01

~ .- ~ . ~ CULTURAL HERITAGE and TCCHNOLOGIES ~n the THIRD MILLENNIUM above (and includes the interplay look at their grandchildren . In a piece between these, as well as other like this, what is the work'? The video problems). This question has been feeds from the NYC projection? The raised by other forms of contemporary Video feeds from the LA projection? art as well. For many types of The plans for the installation? Conceptual Art, the importance lies Interviews with people in the crowd? more in the ideas than in the physically It's not easy to define even what the executed objects. The actual "work" piece is, let alone what about it needs to may not be embedded within the object be saved. itself, but rather may lie in the signs and information used to construct it. What is This question of what really needs to be a work by Dan Flavin or Sol LeWitt -- saved is a huge issue, worthy of an the installation or the instructions for the entire paper, so here we will only point installation? What is the definitive to a few brief questions particularly "work" in a performance piece that focused on electronic art. In an age of might be different each time it is interactivity doesn't each viewer see a performed? In some cases saving a different piece in a dynamic work that video of such a piece may be less keeps changing? If we can only make faithhl to "the work" than preserving sure that certain elements of a piece scripts and notes. And with a John Cage persist over time, how do we decide piece, a formula and directions may be a which elements to make persist? For a much more faithful rendition of "the work that references and incorporates work" than an audio recording of a large parts of the Web, should we try to performance. If the observations for save those parts that it references and these types of works is accurate, it incorporates? Is the technological argues for a deconstructive approach to environment that a work is embedded in preserving the essence of a work, and an important part of that work and worth the importance of theories like trying to save? (If so, what about the semiology in understanding it. social, cultural, and political environment?) Are some interactive Other electronic art is so situational that pieces so embedded in a larger it eludes real capture. For example, for environment that we might consider the their 1980 piece "Hole in Space" the task of really saving them an impossible Electronic Cafe set up video projection one? In the following section we begin screens and hidden microphones in to grapple with approaches to the storefront windows in Los Angeles and questions posed here. New York, hooked these together via satellite, and waited to see how long it HOW CAN WE APPROACH THE would take people to notice that they PRESERVATION OF ELECTRONIC could comn~unicatewith people across WORKS? the country, and how they would choose The conventional paradigm that has to use this (see figure 1). People just shaped conservation efforts for centuries stumbled upon this in surprise, and word is focused on "preserving the artifact." spread quickly. Crowds played games, It is clear that that approach will not be explored stereotypes between effective for electronic works of art. Californians and New Yorkers, and Here we propose a more viable approach some even called relatives and arranged involving: trying to ascertain what the meeting times to give them their firs! work really is, trying to make the critical portions of it persist over time, and ichim 01 -- .. .-.. - .. ... C'JLTURAL HERITAGE and TECYNOLOGIES in the THIRD MILI.CNNIUM saving ancillary materials that become works should be shown and maintained critical to understanding that work (and over time [19]. may be the only evidence of the work that wc can confidently make persist Some postmodernists may argue that, over time). because a work's value lies in its interpretation, the intention of the artist What is the work? is only of minimal importance. But The most critical element to saving a most of these critics should agree that work of electronic art is first the artist's own description of hisher determining what that work really is, work is still important to historical and how far it extends, what its boundaries curatorial interpretation, and hence is an are, under what technical environments important historical record to preserve. it should be shown etc. This is an And the artist's intentions can be critical activity that must be undertaken jointly to future curatorial decisions about how between a curator and conservator, and to appropriately display or contextualize is likely to involve the artist as well. the work (particularly in eras when the initial display equipment may be While some curators may maintain that unobtainable). Capturing an artist's the artist's role is creation and the intentions (as well as capturing a curator's role is interpretation of that curator's interpretation of a work's creation, that view is ccrtainly changing. significance) need to become important In the latter part of the 20'" century, parts of museum records. These records artists increasingly became involved in will need to be examined by both planning museum installations of their conservators and curators, and hence works. Though the idea of artist need to be mainstreained within the participation may have initially been registration process. janing to conventional museum practice, it eventually became commonplace for The museum community needs to contemporary exhibitions. Artist develop standards for capturing these participation in conservation activities descriptions and intentions in ways that (that today appear jarring to traditional are fairly consistent from institution to museum culture) may eventually institution. (Standards are important for likewise become accepted (and even a wide variety of reasons, from handling commonplace) practices. traveling exhibitions, to sharing records [or exhibition planning] for similar There is a growing movement in this works residing in different institutions, direction among contemporary art to creating a multi-institution market for museums. An international symposium collection management systems so that on this subject was held in the vendors will incorporate these features Netherlands in 1997 [IS]. It recently into their systems, rather than as became standard procedure for the Tate expensive individualized system Modern's conscrvator to interview the extensions.) Recording precise records artist for each newly acquired electronic arc important if we want that work [lo]. Guggenheim Museum information to be accessible beyond the Assistant Curator Jon lppolito (himself life of the curator and conservator an electronic artist) has advocated present when the work was acquired. collaborative involvement between artists and museum staff over how their Though eventually these standards may ichim 01

~.- .. -- - ~. ~ ~..~~ ~.-. -~ CL'LTL,RAL HLHITAGL ard TECHNOLOGIES ~n the THIRD MILL~NNIUM consist of a number of fixed fields each settings. In this respect electronic works centered al.ound a precise attribute are similar to forms of performance art. (importance of color within a particular For more traditional forms of part of the piece, importance of pacing performance art, a common practice has within a given section of the piece) and been to save a canonical form of the controlled set of values, for each work (the written play for a dramatic attribute we do not yet know enough work, the score for a musical piece) as about the attributes that we will need to well as some audio/visual recordings as capture. It might be wise to follow the examples of particular performance path recently adopted by the group interpretations. Conservators may well designing Technical Imaging Standards consider capturing a canonical form of for the National Information Standards an electronic work alongside views of Organization [20]. After struggling to different instantiations of that work, as precisely articulate all the technical well as various forms of evidence about variables that might be involved in that work. making a faithful digital copy of a photograph, this group settled upon Though traditional forms of theater and several precisely defined fields as well music have well-developed approaches as a fairly open field to express to finding a canonical form that forms "reformatting intentions" in plain the basis of most instanciations language. As that community gains (performances) of that work, more experience in describing contents for contemporary art forms have not yet that open field, it is expected that more explored how they can create a precisc describahle attributes will canonical form. With many emerge, become standardized, and be contemporary works, canonical forms split off into their own fields (where can be more effectively sought for they will be more consistent and easier groups of works sharing common to manage). approaches (rathcr than by general form or genre). For example, the canonical Descriptions and intentions of a work form of groups of works by John Cage, are not only rich information for Sol LeWitt, and Dan Flavin may be a set museum staff, but these can also be of formulas and instructions for each extremely useful to the scholar and the work, and each performance, piece or general public. Care must be taken to installation might be a variant form of a identify which parts of that information given work. As we being to understand should be restricted to museum morc about contemporary forms of personnel, which should be accessible electronic art, the application of for public viewing, and which might be semiological analysis to groups of works subject to gate-keeping or periodic may lead to the development of ways of review of restrictions. expressing canonical forms for subgenres of electronic art. On a lower- Strategies for making portions of a order level, much progress has been work persist over time made in addressing the construction of As we have described above, many canonical forms for digital files (such as electronic works have variant fonns; in determining that the Microsoft Word fact a single piece of Web art can look version of a document may be a variant different when viewed simultaneously form of the pdf, html, and sgml on Web browsers having different versions) [2I]. In trying to capture views of different actually looked like. Particularly for instantiations of a work, one might first works that involve interactivity or some tiy to capture the electronic files and try other experiential component, interviews to make these persist over time (using can be important in contextualizing and strategies such as migration or understanding the work. For example, emulation). For web-based works, this in trying to explain the Electronic Cafk's might involve not just saving the artist- "Hole in Space," videotaped interviews constructed files, but also saving the with people immediately after web browsing software available to experiencing the piece have been highly users to view these as they were effective in both describing the piece displayed when the work was created. and in situating it and its importance. For digital works that change over time, this might involve capturing files at In a sense, conservators of electronic regular intervals, forming snapshots of works may need to become more like what the work looked like at any given both archivists and cultural point. For highly interactive works, this anthropologists. As archivists they may could also involve videotaping users and need to save all kinds of ancillary displays during various types of materials, and may also need to interactions. intervene to help save records usually relegated to the realm of the Registrar. Ancillary materials As cultural anthropologists, they may As we begin to recognize that we may need to interview artists, curators, and not be able to save the work in the form museum-goers to help record the that it was originally expressed (and meaning and context for a work. may not be able to save it at all), ancillary materials that expIain and Standards contextualize the work become more Because formats for storing works (as important to save. These materials may well as for storing records about works) serve as forensic evidence for a work are so rapidly changing and outdated, that effectively no longer exists. conservators may need to involve themselves in standardization processes Sketches, drawings, and plans for a [3][12]. Encoding files and records in work can be important in understanding widely-adopted standard formats acts as both the work itself and the artist's a hedge against rapidly changing intentions. Proposals written by the software -- the more people who are artist, as well as correspondence with using a standard for encoding, the more technicians, helpers, and curators can likely that new formats will recognize also help explain the work. A whole that encoding standard. A wide variety host of archival material can serve as of standards may be useful for electronic evidence of the work, and help people in art. the future to understand what the work looked like as well as to contextualize it. High-order multimedia encoding standards (like SMIL and MPEG-4) may Interviews with people after they have make digital art less fragile and subject seen or interacted with a work can help to changes in application software such future scholars and viewers to as Director, Acrobat, and Flash. understand the impact and importance of Standards are also needed for that work, as well as what the work synchronization units used for timing ichim 01 - ClllTURAL HERITAGE and TECHNOLOGIES in thc THIRD MI~N~ between multiple image and sound fashion). We then need to employ projections within multimedia relatively long-lasting encoding installations. Without such standards it standards to try to preserve important will be difficult (if not impossible) to functionality of that work. And we need reconstruct installations years after a to save a variety of ancillary materials brand of synch unit is discontinued. which may be important in understanding the work. And though in recent years much effort has been made at standardization of In the coming years, we're likely to see a museum collection management records dramatic shift in the role of (through projects such as CIMI), more conservation. Conservators involved work needs to be done in the area of with electronic art may take on roles standards for conservation records. As similar to archivists and cultural we have mentioned above, there is anthropologists, as well as that of ongoing work in standardizing artists standards professionals. intentions. Other productive areas of standardization may include standards ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS for condition reporting, particularly for Portions of the content of this paper annotation of digital images within were originally presented in two talks to condition reports. the American Institute for Conservation in Philadelphia in June 2000 [22][23]. It is really critical that we develop Conversations with other presenters at standards that will persist beyond the life that conference (particularly Pip of today's museum staff, or the even Laurenson and Jill Sterrett) contributed shorter life of hardware or software. to the author's evolving ideas on this subject. The author is particularly CONCLUSION indebted to electronic artists Kit We have seen how electronic art is Galloway and Sherrie Kabinowitz of the fragile and difficult to conserve. The Electronic Cafe International; artifactual value of electronic art is much discussions with them and ongoing work different than the artifactual value of with over 20 years of their archival more conventional art forms. Because material has led to many of the ideas of changing technologies, electronic art presented in this paper. originals can only be accessed/viewed/played for a very short REFERENCES time period. Though the original 1. 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Rothenberg, J. Avoiding 12. Lyman, P., Besser, H. (1998). Technolo~ical Quicksand: Finding Defining the Problem of Our a Viable Technical Fo~indation,for Vanishing Memory: Background, Digital Preservation, Council on Current Status, Models for Library and Information Resources, Resolution. In M. MacLean and B. Washington DC, January 1999, Davis (eds.), Time and Bits: http://www.c1 ir.org/pub~/ab.~tract/I) Managing Digital Continuity, Getty ub77.hrml Inforination Institute and Getty Conservation Institute, Los Rothenberg, J. Ensuring the Angeles, 1998, 1 1-20 Longevity of Digital Documents, Scientific American, 272(1), 1995, 13. Russell, K. Digitul Preservution: 42-7 Ensuring Access to Digital Materials Into the Future, June Shenk, D. The World Wide Library, 1999, September 2 1997, http://www,leeds.ac.uWcedars/Chap http:/flwtwired. lycos.com/synapse/f ter.htm eature/97/35/shenkI a-text, h trill 14. Sanders, T. Into the Future: Benjamin, W. The Work of Art in Preservation of Information in the the Age of Mechanical Electronic Age, Santa Monica: Reproduction, Illuniinations. American Film Foundation, Santa Schocken, New York, 1978 Monica, 1997 (16 mm film, 60 minutes) Besser, H. The Changing Role of Photographic Collections with the 15. Van der Werf-Daqvelarr, T. Long- Advent of Digitization. In K. Jones- term Preservation of Electronic Garmil (ed.), The Wired Museum, Publications: The NEDLIB project, American Association of Museums, D-Lib Magazine 5 (9), September Washington DC, 1997, pages 115- 1999 127 16. Besser, H. Digital Images for 10. Laurenson, P. Between Cinema and Museums, use& ~tudies~ournal

274 ichirn 01 CULTURAL HERITAGE and TECHNOLOGIES in the THIRD MILLENNm-

Media session, 2gthAnnual Meeting of American Institute for 17. Council on Library and Information Conservation of Historic & Artistic Resources. Authenticity in a Digital Works (Philadelphia, PA) June 9, Environment, Council on Library 2000 and Information Resources, Washington, DC, May 2000 23. Besser, H. Tremendous Potential Meets Practical Problems: Saving 18. Netherlands lnstitute for Cultural Conservation Documentation Over Heritage. Modem Art: Who Time, Talk to Electronic Media Cures?, (Amsterdam 1997) session, 2gth Annual Meeting of http://ww~~icn.nl/engeld6.4.2. html American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works 19. Ippolito, I. The Museum of the (Philadelphia, PA) June 1 1,2000 Future: A Contradiction in Terms?, Artbyte, June/July 1998 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Howard Besser is an Associate 20. Rearman, D. NISO/CLIR/RLG Professor at UCLA's School of Technical Metadata for Images Education & Information Studies where Workshop (meeting report), April he teaches courses and does research on 18-19, 1999, digital longevity, multimedia, image httv://www.niso.org/imagei-pt.html databases, digital libraries, intellectual property, and the social and cultural 2 1. Lynch, C. Canonicalization: A impact of new information fundamental Tool to Faciliatat technologies. Dr. Besser has been in Preservation and Management of charge of information technology for 2 Digital Information, D-Lib museums, consulted widely on Magazine 5 (9), September 1999 technology issues in the art and museum worlds, and has been in the forefront of 22. Besser, H. What's so special about issues of digital longevity. electronic art: Issues in http://www.gseis.ucla.edd-howurd Conservation of Digital Works, Talk to Preservation of Electronic