Symposium on video art

Digital Heritage:
Symposium on Video Art in Germany from 1963 to the Present
Dusseldorf
K20 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen
Grabbeplatz 5
Trinkaus-Auditorium
40213 Dusseldorf
July 1-2, 2005
<URL:http://40yearsvideoart.de/>

Magnetic tapes are subject to a constant process of deterioration.
This realization is not new. Yet for some time now an international
discussion has been taking place regarding the fact that ubiquitous
and fleeting electronic images are as much a part of our cultural
heritage as painting or sculpture--with the reservation that in the
meantime, a large part of this heritage is in acute danger. Since
the triumph of video art in international exhibition circles, in
particular museums and collections with a fundamental interest in
the preservation of their works have been confronted with this
dilemma and are thinking about their long-neglected electronic
stores. However, insufficient attention has been given to the issues
of how in future imminent losses can be averted and restorative
measures can be taken.

The signs of digitalization have meanwhile extended out into all
areas of society. The social acceptance of the new digital carriers
and media requires that questions be exemplarily and systematically
asked regarding the processes of digitalization currently taking
place. What is the historical, practical, but also the theoretical
significance of the transformation from analog to digital
information for work on a digital heritage? And how can we maintain
awareness of the access to this heritage in the areas of research
and teaching? What repercussions do these issues have for artists,
galleries and sales?

Several aspects of the current situation are the complexity of the
technical configurations of recording and playback media, the lack
of an academic examination of evaluation standards, and inadequate
awareness of the precarious state of technological images. The
interfacing of the various competencies of archives, academics,
museums, artists and industry is necessary in order to promote the
development and communication of methods and practical models not
only for the preservation, but also for the restoration of
videotapes, since up to now, in the area of electronic media no
standards have been developed to evaluate either electronic image
hardware or software from a restorative point of view.

As a first milestone of the project "40yearsvideoart.de," this
public symposium will present exemplary research, initiatives and
projects, and analyze and put forward for discussion their
significance for the construction of history and aesthetic
perception as well as for museal and artistic practice. The results
will in turn be included in the reappraisal of forty years of video
art in Germany, which in a further step will be presented in various
contexts in exhibitions at the Kunsthalle Bremen, the K21
Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, the Lenbachhaus Munich, the
Museum der Bildenden Kunste Leipzig and the ZKM Center for Art and
Media Karlsruhe. In addition to the project, a DVD study edition
will make the materials lastingly available for research and
teaching.

Public transport: From the airport: Suburban railway lines S1 or S7
to the main train station From the main train station: Subway lines
U74, U77, U 78 or U79, or tram lines 703, 706, 712, 713 or 715 to
Heinrich-Heine-Allee

Free admission to all lectures. Simultaneous translation is
available.

July 1

    Lutz Nitsche
    The Federal Cultural Foundation, Welcome

    Rudolf Frieling
    Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Introduction

    Boris Groys
    State Academy of Design, Karlsruhe, Key-note lecture

    Hans Dieter Huber
    Academy of Fine Arts, Stuttgart
    The Embodiment of Code

    Katharina Ammann
    University of Bern
    Exhibiting Video

    Caitlin Jones
    Guggenheim Museum, New York
    "Seeing Double"

    Hans D. Christ
    Wurttembergischer Kunstverein Stuttgart
    Curating and Preserving: On Synergies Between Exhibitors and
    Conservators of Media Art

    Bart Rutten
    Netherlands Media Art Institute
    MonteVideo/TBA
    Perform and performed. "Incision" and "Freeing the Voice" by
    Marina Abramovic/Ulay documented as contemporary art works.

    Jackie Hatfield/Stephen Partridge Duncan
    Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee
    REWIND Artists' Video in the 1970s and 1980s: Impermanence and
    Transition

July 2

    Ulrich Lang
    Museum of Modern Art, Frankfurt/Main
    Dealing with Modern Art: The Preservation of el_media

    Christoph Blase
    Laboratory for antique video systems, Center for Art and Media,
    Karlsruhe
    The Reanimation of Open Reel

    Johannes Gfeller
    University of the Arts, Bern
    Time-based Arts Time-based Errors: A Plea for a Restoration
    Software Based on Lines

    Round Table Moderated by Gaby Wijers, Netherlands Media Art
    Institute, MonteVideo/TBA

    Heather Weaver
    Bay Area Video Coalition, San Francisco, Case Study I

    Tina Weidner/Yvonne Mohr
    Tate Collection, London/Center for Art and Media
    Karlsruhe, Case Study II

    Walter Plaschzug, HS-ART, Graz
    Digital Restoration

    Chris Walker
    SONY Salzburg
    Digital Standards

    Sandra Thomas/Alexandra Wessels
    235 Media Koln, Media Art Archive

    Round Table: Video Art/Art Market
    Moderated by Dieter Daniels
    Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig, with:

        Anita Beckers
        Galerie Beckers, Frankfurt/Main
        Barbara Engelbach
        Ludwig Museum, Cologne

        Dieter Kiessling
        artist, Dusseldorf

        Bart Rutten
        Netherlands Media Art Institute--MonteVideo/TBA,
        Amsterdam

        Stephan Urbaschek
        Goetz Collection, Munich

Subject to change

Patricia Falcao Conservator
Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe
Lorenzstrasse 19
D- 76135 Karlsruhe
+49 721 8100 1537
Fax: 49 721 8100 1709


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