4 CONCLUSIONS

4.1 ACCONCI

Vito Acconci is more interested in the concepts of his work and less interested in maintaining original media format or exhibition equipment.

Acconci's work has been altered from the original format. While questions exist about that format, the monitor channel was on video and the projection channel was on Super 8mm film in 1975. Nothing is known about the state of the original slides.

The master copies of the two video channels for Acconci's Pornography in the Classroom are on Betacam SP analog videotape. For the Seeing Time exhibition, the exhibition format was DVD using MPEG-2 compression. The Betacam SP master copies are held by Acconci. The Kramlich Collection holds Betacam SP submasters.

Exhibition copies of the 80 slides are held by the Kramlich Collection. Use copies were made for the Seeing Time exhibition from the exhibition copies. There are no limits to their use.

Acconci is maintaining his own archives.

4.2 COLEMAN

James Coleman is very interested in maintaining the original format of his work: 35 mm color slides and analog audio on CD-R.

Most aspects of the work and its display are specified by installation instructions supplied by Coleman.

The Coleman Archives maintains the master copies of INITIALS and all other Coleman works.

If any one of the exhibition slides is faded, the entire set is not sanctioned for exhibition. The specific degree of fading has not been specified, but 30% density loss is a temporary working limit.

Based on several assumptions, some of the slides will be faded past the “temporary”color-change limit midway through a normal exhibition period.

Coleman provided two exhibition copies for the SFMOMA venue of the Seeing Time exhibition. The slides were changed to the second copy halfway through the 74-day exhibition period.

Coleman provides extensive installation documentation, and he wants to be present for the final stages of installation. In some instances, he will allow an approved assistant to supervise the final stages, rather than himself.

Coleman wishes to maintain the current media formats, but acknowledges that he may change his mind in the future. Coleman formerly used 1/4 in. audiotape, and later 4 mm cassette tape, for the sound track, but has switched to CD-R.

The Coleman Studio Archive is off-site from the studio and is closely monitored by Coleman.