Contents:
- Voorwoord-Foreword
- Project Conservering Videokunst-Project Preservation Video Art
- Conserveringwijze en -techniek-Preservation Method and Technique
- De geconserveerede Nederlandse videokunstcollecties-The preserved video-art collections in the Netherlands
- Overzicht van geconserveerede werken-List of preserved video-art works.
This report whose full title is De houdbaarheid van videokunst: conservering van de Nederlandse videokunst collectie/The Sustainability of Video Art: Preservation of Dutch video art collections, describes the video art preservation project undertaken between 2000 and 2003 by the Netherlands Media Art Institute (Nederlands Instituut voor Mediakunst NIMk, formerly Montevideo) with the suppor t of the Foundation for the Conservation of Modern Art (Stichting Behoud Moderne Kunst). The first part provides the background on the project’s establishment, explains the selection criteria used, the role artist interviews played in the decision making and the documentation (models) that resulted from the project. The second part goes into a little more detail on the actual preservation strategy. It ends with list of the museums involved and an overview of the works preserved. The report stresses the importance of keeping the artist’s intent in mind and how the collaborative nature of the project greatly contributed to its success.
This report is particularly interesting in how it illustrates that video art requires another approach to preservation than other kinds of content on video carriers, one primarily driven by the need to respect the artist’s intent. Its emphasis on a collaborative institutional approach is also important. It is a useful resource for anyone approaching the preservation of media art.