ActiveArchives

ActiveArchives:
Research Project at the Berne University of the Arts BUA

A project of the Hochschule der Kunste Bern HKB and Schweizerischen
Instituts fur Kunstwissenschaft SIK with support of the Federal
Office for Culture BAK.

    AktiveArchive
    Hochschule der Kunste Bern HKB
    Fellerstrasse 11
    CH-3027 Bern
    +41 31 990 32 69
    Fax: +41 31 990 32 30
    info<-a t->aktivearchive< . >ch
    <URL:http://www.aktivearchive.ch>

The ActiveArchives research project concerns itself with questions
of conservation and restoration as well as the development of art
theory models for the documentation and interpretation of electronic
works of art. The project is carried out by the Berne University of
the Arts and the Swiss Institute for Art Research and backed
financially by the Federal Office of Cultural Affairs.

ActiveArchives arose from Sitemapping.ch, the Federal project in the
area of cultural and artistic work with electronic media initiated
in 2000. After completing the pilot phase in 2002 and 2003
ActiveArchives has been working regularly since October 2004 on
building up a professional department and on selected projects.
These individual projects include case studies, art technology
research and, in cooperation with museums or artists, investigations
into art theory and restoration.

Electronic media are subject to accelerated technological change and
works of art with electronic components undergo a faster ageing
process than works created with traditional media and materials. As
a result museums and collections, private owners as well as artists
now have to concern themselves increasingly with questions of
storage, maintenance and restoration of such works created since the
1960s. ActiveArchives supports these efforts with research and
advice. In individual studies ActiveArchives carries out research on
the art technology conditions necessary for conservation or
restoration which do justice to the work and are supported by art
theory.

An important basis is the development of suitable forms of art
theory descriptions and documentation for space and time-based works
of art. The results of the individual investigations will be
transmitted through the professional department to collections and
interested persons with the aim of augmenting knowledge and
understanding as well as interest in specific needs--from storage to
presentation of electronic works of art. The knowledge gained in the
individual projects will also be published on the ActiveArchives
website or in other publications.

With its clearly structured navigation the new website of
ActiveArchives offers an informative insight into the "Konzept"
(concept) and the chronological layout of the early history of the
research project. The "Glossar" (glossary) formulates the most
important contextual terms and factors connected to the project.
Knowledge of these is fundamental to the individual research set out
under "Teilprojekte" (sub-projects)--from model documentations to
various projects on data protection. The menu "Information" supplies
details about the body responsible for the project and the
participants working on the research projects. A selected list of
"Links" to websites of institutions, projects and companies gives
access to a larger number of Swiss and internationally active
groupings who are dealing with questions of art technology and art
theory in the area of electronic media and electronic art.

Dr. Irene Schubiger
AktiveArchive
Hochschule der Kunste Bern HKB
Fellerstrasse 11
CH-3027 Bern
+41 31 990 32 69
Fax: +41 31 990 32 30


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 18:54
                   Distributed: Friday, May 20, 2005
                       Message Id: cdl-18-54-001
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