The Future of the Past: Live Performance and Digital Curation for New Potentials Laura Molloy Researcher (Digital Curation Centre / Jisc MRD programme) Humanities Advanced Technology and Information Institute (HATII) University of Glasgow The Digital Curation ‘lifecycle’ http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/curation-lifecycle-model Format obsolescence 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 Cylinder, recordable Cylinder, replicated Coarse groove disc ( ~78 rpm) Transcription disc (pressed) Instantaneous lacquer disc Vinyl microgroove disc Wire Magnetic reel -to -reel tape Compact cassette tape Cartridge tape CD replicated (CD -DA) Betamax & VHS /F1 CD recordable (CD -R) Digital Audio Tape (DAT) Mini -Disc (M D) Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) Slide by Richard Ranft, British Library (please do not reuse without the author’s consent.) http://www.ahds.ac.uk/performingarts/ http://www.ahds.ac.uk/performingarts/pubs/scoping-study-2006.pdf UK performance practitioner survey Key findings (1): Should all performance practitioners preserve their work? Most popular responses: • Yes to make a resource to which the practitioner, as well as the public, can return; • Yes because the value of work changes over time; • Yes, but emphemerality has its value. UK performance practitioner survey Key findings (2): How do you preserve your own work? Most popular responses: • make & store multiple copies of digital files (‘back-ups’); • store digital audio files on hard drive or CD/DVD; • keep things ‘in cardboard box in the house’. (NB: Significant proportion saw re-performing or re- exhibiting work as a method of preservation.) UK performance practitioner survey Key findings (3): • Many said they planned to keep their documentation and associated outputs “forever” / the rest of their life, and are in favour of their ‘preserved’ digital objects being available for use by other practitioners and researchers Yet: • Very few showed awareness of preservation as an active process. UK performance practitioner survey Variety of collections of which respondents were aware: University library; BFI; Local library (not university); Myspace; British Library; BBC archive; Scottish Screen archive; Various online radio archives; Flickr; Live Art Development Agency (www.thisisliveart.co.uk); Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center, NYC; Live Art Archives, Bristol; National Theatre of Scotland; Arts Admin (www.artsadmin.co.uk); Bildwechsel, Hamburg (www.ilovebildwechsel.org); MOMA library, NYC; British Film Council catalogue (database, not clips); Artquest ; Ubuweb (http://ubu.com); Lux Online (www.luxonline.org.uk); National Film and TV School (www.nftsfilm-tv.ac.uk); Columbia University, NYC; Lovefilm (or similar) online DVD rental service; Various online message boards / fora; Centre for Performance Research, Aberystwyth; Cecil Sharpe House, English Folk Dance and Song Society; Delia Derbyshire Archive, University of Manchester; Smithsonian collection; University collection (not university library - e.g. Department or gallery); Mudcat online archive and forum; Queer Up North festival archive; National Theatre (London); RSC; Dance Umbrella; DV8 theatre company archive; Laban centre library; Benesh institute [for dance notation]; Royal Academy of Dance; Dancebase (Edinburgh); Canadian Film Institute; Youtube. Help! Digital Curation Centre – browse resources: http://www.dcc.ac.uk/search?keys=arts DCC ‘Introduction to Curation’: http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/briefing-papers UKDA Managing and Sharing guide: http://www.data- archive.ac.uk/media/2894/managingsharing.pdf University of Bristol: Jisc-funded ‘CAiRO’ (Curating Artistic Research Output) project: http://www.projectcairo.org/ UCA, Goldsmiths, UAL and Glasgow School of Art: Jisc- funded ‘KAPTUR’ project (outputs): http://www.vads.ac.uk/kaptur/outputs/index.html Thank you for listening. Laura Molloy E: [email protected].