Projection to Pixel: the Art of Digital Translations of 35Mm Slideshows in Cultural Institutions

PROJECTION TO PIXEL: THE ART OF DIGITAL TRANSLATIONS OF 35MM SLIDESHOWS IN CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS Emily Miller Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, University of Guelph 2012 Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Guelph 2012 A thesis presented to Ryerson University in partial fulfillment of the reQuirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Program of Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2018 © Emily Miller, 2018 AUTHOR’S DECLARATION FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF A THESIS I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, includinG any required final revisions. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this thesis to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this thesis by photocopyinG or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract Projection to Pixel: The Art of DiGital Translations of 35mm Slideshows in Cultural Institutions Emily Miller Master of Arts 2018 Film and PhotoGraphy Preservation and Collections Management Ryerson University This research paper and associated website address the GrowinG practice of diGitization in cultural institutions. DiGitization provides Greater access to the objects and associated research of collections; however, diGitization is a subjective process and should be understood as a cultural as well as technical practice. Current diGital reproductions and documentation do not do justice to time-based artworks. 35mm slideshows, in particular, are misrepresented by their diGital records and, due to their imminent material and technical obsolescence, are inaccessible unless on display. This thesis responds to the pressinG question: How can institutions, primarily art Galleries and museums, create diGital translations of slideshows produced as artworks that maintain the inteGrity of the oriGinal format, both contextually and materially? It seeks to find a way to create a robust diGital translation of 35mm slideshows that provides a better sense of their materiality, presentation, and context. iii AcknowledGements As with most siGnificant undertakinGs, this paper was not accomplished alone. I have been extraordinarily fortunate to have received the advice, support, and opportunities offered by my thesis supervisor, Sophie Hackett. I am Grateful to Karla McManus, my second reader, who provided fresh insiGhts that shaped my project in its final stages. I would also like to thank Thierry Gervais, who helped me in the initial stages of my research and Gave me the opportunity to work at the Art Gallery of Ontario. I am indebted to the Generous Group of professionals and artists I interviewed; not only did they share their time with me, they also shared valuable perspectives and experiences that strenGthened my research and my confidence in it. The dedicated staff at the AGO made this project both possible and pleasurable. This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; their Generosity Gave me the peace of mind to focus on my work. Thank you to Ruth and Lawrence: my patrons, my editors, and my parents. iv Table of Contents Author’s Declaration ii Abstract iii AcknowledGements iv Table of Contents v List of FiGures vii List of Appendices viii Introduction 1 Literature Review 8 The History of Slideshows 9 The Medium Specificity of Slideshows 10 The Preservation of Slideshows 15 DiGital Culture and the Cultural Institution 17 The History and Obsolescence of 35mm Slideshows 21 The 35mm Slideshow in Cultural Institutions 26 Michael Snow and James Coleman: InstallinG a Concept 29 Suzy Lake and Nan Goldin: SubvertinG the Slideshow 35 Contemporary Challenges: Exhibiting the 35mm Slideshow 40 The Preservation of 35mm Slideshows 43 The Storage and Projection of 35mm Slides 43 35mm Slide Duplication 46 35mm Slide DiGitization 49 The Artist’s Involvement in Preservation 53 The Show Must Go On 56 DiGitization in Cultural Institutions 58 The DiGital Records of 35mm Slideshows 63 A New Mode: DiGital Translations 76 DevelopinG DiGital Translations 79 DiGital Translations for Documentation 82 DiGital Translation for Exhibition 85 DiGital Environments 90 v Conclusion: The Translators 93 Appendix: DiGital Translations 98 SinGle DiGitized Slide 98 All Slides DiGitized 99 Installation PhotoGraphs 100 Installation Videos 101 Exhibition Translation 102 Glossary 103 BiblioGraphy 105 Please visit www.emilymiller.ca/diGitalTranslations/home.html to see more of “Projection to Pixel: The Art of DiGital Translations of 35mm Slideshows in Cultural Institutions.” vi List of FiGures Figure 1: 35mm Slide Image Life Criteria 45 Figure 2: Suzy Lake’s On Stage in print, selection of two spreads 62 Figure 3: Online record of Nan Goldin’s The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, screen shot from the Whitney Museum of American Art’s website 65 Figure 4: Online record of Nan Goldin’s The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, screen shot from the Art Institute of Chicago’s website 66 Figure 5: Exhibition record of Nan Goldin’s The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, screen shot from Museum of Modern Art’s website 67 Figure 6: Online record of James Coleman’s Living and Presumed Dead, screen shot from the Tate’s website 69 Figure 7: Online record of James Coleman’s Living and Presumed Dead, screen shot from the Marian Goodman Gallery’s website 70 Figure 8: Storage and slides of James Coleman’s Living and Presumed Dead at the Art Gallery of Ontario 72 Figure 9: Installation photoGraphs of Michael Snow’s Recombinant, selections from Art Gallery of Ontario’s TMS record 74 vii List of Appendices Appendix 98 SinGle DiGitized Slide 98 All Slides DiGitized 99 Installation PhotoGraphs 100 Installation Videos 101 Exhibition Translation 102 viii Introduction Projections exist only in light; they are a moment of time captured by a transparency. Photographs fixed on paper are complete objects, while projections require many parts to make the whole: transparencies, projector, screen, and operator. Projected photography arises from a deliberate choice on the part of the creator to present images that live occasionally in space rather than permanently on paper. From the 1950s to the 1990s, 35mm slideshows were the most accessible and affordable form of projected photography for amateurs and professionals alike. Slideshows were efficient as they presented large-scale pictures from slides that were small and easy to store, making them popular in homes, lecture halls, and businesses. Artists were also drawn to this unique form of photography and presentation throughout the mid-to-late twentieth century. The artistic use of 35mm slideshows represents a creative and intellectual decision, usually on the part of conceptual or performance artists. 35mm slide-based artworks developed a medium specificity characterized by the duration, sequence, projection, and the physical demands of the slideshow’s installation. The technical and physical specifications of slideshows required art institutions to generate distinct practices for the exhibition and preservation of these artworks. For example, duplication is essential to the vitality of a slideshow, as each slide is individually created and subjected to the effects of time. The projected exhibition of a slideshow exhausts the slides, which then require replacement. 35mm slideshows continue to rely on obsolete materials and machinery that are being 1 replaced and erased by digital technology. In the face of technological obsolescence, institutions must embrace digitization as a valuable tool for the continued exhibition and preservation of these artworks. The Canadian Museums Association’s ethics guidelines state that “[m]useums have two fundamental public trust responsibilities: stewardship and public service.”1 These are exceptional responsibilities: museums are entrusted to care for valuable cultural artifacts, and are obligated to create access, and provide research on their collection, to the public. Digital technology and the internet have created a networked culture, an online global community shared by millions. Institutions are under pressure to digitize their collections and create accessible records. Given the threat of technological and material obsolescence, I argue that institutions should prioritize the digitization and documentation of 35mm slideshows. This is especially important for artists who only allow the analogue slideshow to be exhibited, as the digital documents will eventually be the only surviving record of the artwork. Unless a slideshow is on display, the public’s only access to it is through a selection of still, digitized slides fixed on a monitor; this is a materially and conceptually reductive representation of a complex artwork. These digital reproductions demonstrate the continued practice of antiquated reproduction photography practices. Previously, museums were confined to analogue photography to document their artworks, thus the reproductions were always two- dimensional, still photographs. Museums continue to document artworks in this 1 Canadian Museums Association, Ethical Guidelines, 5. 2 manner, despite new digital technologies that can better capture time-based and multi- dimensional artworks. Museums assume an authoritative role in the creation and dissemination of digital reproductions; however, their

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