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| ''Internet hub at the //Butterfly Effect// exhibition, Kunsthalle Budapest, 1996. Source: C3 Foundation.'' | ''Fig. 1: Internet hub at the //Butterfly Effect// exhibition, Kunsthalle Budapest, 1996. Source: C3 Foundation.'' |
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| SCCA Budapest and C³ have been of great importance both locally and internationally. Major exhibitions before the C³ was founded include //SVB VOCE// (1991) //Polyphony// (1993), //Butterfly Effect// (1996), and subsequently //Perspective// (1999), //Media Model// (2000), //Vision// (2002) - all at the Budapest Kunsthalle, except for //Polyphony//, which is considered the first major public art event in the region. It is also worth mentioning the international conferences organised by SCCA Budapest, such as //The Media Are With Us!// (1990), //Problem Video// (1991), and the //VI International Vilém Flusser Symposium & Event Series// (1997). Works, recordings and documentation from these events form the core of the C³ collection. | SCCA Budapest and C³ have been of great importance both locally and internationally. Major exhibitions before the C³ was founded include //SVB VOCE// (1991) //Polyphony// (1993), //Butterfly Effect// (1996), and subsequently //Perspective// (1999), //Media Model// (2000), //Vision// (2002) - all at the Budapest Kunsthalle, except for //Polyphony//, which is considered the first major public art event in the region. It is also worth mentioning the international conferences organised by SCCA Budapest, such as //The Media Are With Us!// (1990), //Problem Video// (1991), and the //VI International Vilém Flusser Symposium & Event Series// (1997). Works, recordings and documentation from these events form the core of the C³ collection. |
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| ''Entry on the //Polyphony// exhibition (1993) on catalog.C3.hu. Source: C3 Foundation.'' | ''Fig. 2: Entry on the //Polyphony// exhibition (1993) on catalog.C3.hu. Source: C3 Foundation.'' |
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| However, with the digital acceleration after 2009, the common platform has become obsolete, the structure restrictive and the content forgotten. Sustainability was not sufficiently addressed in the original objectives of the project and the limited operation of C³ did not allow the catalogue to be activated, presented and regularly updated (with the exception of an accessibility update in 2012). Even the project's website, which was supposed to be a central access point, eventually ceased to exist.[(http://gama-gateway.eu)] This cannot be blamed on a lack of expertise or skills, as the debate on the preservation of media arts has been going on since the birth of media arts, including on the European scene. The C³ was previously involved in another initiative, 404 Object Not Found. What Remains of Media Art? (2003), which was a research project focusing on specific works, using different case studies, to investigate problems and issues related to the presentation, documentation and preservation of media art. The project concluded with a congress at the Hartware Medien Kunst Verein (HMKV) in Dortmund. C³ presented a case study on the possible preservation of the online VRML artwork //Cryptogram//.[(http://www.c3.hu/cryptogram/)] | However, with the digital acceleration after 2009, the common platform has become obsolete, the structure restrictive and the content forgotten. Sustainability was not sufficiently addressed in the original objectives of the project and the limited operation of C³ did not allow the catalogue to be activated, presented and regularly updated (with the exception of an accessibility update in 2012). Even the project's website, which was supposed to be a central access point, eventually ceased to exist.[(http://gama-gateway.eu)] This cannot be blamed on a lack of expertise or skills, as the debate on the preservation of media arts has been going on since the birth of media arts, including on the European scene. The C³ was previously involved in another initiative, 404 Object Not Found. What Remains of Media Art? (2003), which was a research project focusing on specific works, using different case studies, to investigate problems and issues related to the presentation, documentation and preservation of media art. The project concluded with a congress at the Hartware Medien Kunst Verein (HMKV) in Dortmund. C³ presented a case study on the possible preservation of the online VRML artwork //Cryptogram//.[(http://www.c3.hu/cryptogram/)] |
| Although he was a regular participant of almost all exhibitions, programs of the C<sup>3</sup> Foundation or earlier the Soros Center for Contemporary Arts (SCCA),[([[http://catalog.c3.hu/index.php?page=person&id=136|http://catalog.C3.hu/index.php?page=person&id=136]] Accessed 1.3.2022)] documentation regarding him is fragmented and partly unsystematic in the archives and collections of C<sup>3</sup>, moreover, which of his previously exhibited pieces, if any, could be reconstructed without the artist and at what standard, remains questionable. | Although he was a regular participant of almost all exhibitions, programs of the C<sup>3</sup> Foundation or earlier the Soros Center for Contemporary Arts (SCCA),[([[http://catalog.c3.hu/index.php?page=person&id=136|http://catalog.C3.hu/index.php?page=person&id=136]] Accessed 1.3.2022)] documentation regarding him is fragmented and partly unsystematic in the archives and collections of C<sup>3</sup>, moreover, which of his previously exhibited pieces, if any, could be reconstructed without the artist and at what standard, remains questionable. |
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| Hereinafter, citing three examples, we are going to describe the shortcomings and pitfalls of documentation methods in the archives of C<sup>3</sup> and, beyond this, those characteristic of Hungary in the 1990s regarding new media art. Please note that the Révész oeuvre is just an example, he is not a better or worse documented artist than the average, it has simply become relevant beacuse his tragically sudden death closed the possibility of communication with him making it impossible to answer any further, potentially crucial questions. | In the following, we will use three examples to describe the shortcomings and pitfalls of the documentation methods in C<sup>3</sup>'s archives, as well as those characteristic of Hungary in the 1990s with regard to new media art. Please note that Révész's oeuvre is only one example, he is not a better or worse documented artist than the average, it has only become relevant because his tragically sudden death closed the possibility of communication with him, making it impossible to answer any further, potentially crucial questions. |
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| === The Triumphal Arch (Diadalív) === | === The Triumphal Arch (Diadalív) === |
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| ''Révész László László, //The Triumphal Arch//, 1996.[(Source: [[http://www.c3.hu/scca/butterfly/Revesz/projecthu.html|http://www.c3.hu/scca/butterfly/Revesz/projecthu.html]]; //Balkon//, no. 3, 1996, p. 34.)]'' | ''Fig. 3: Révész László László, //The Triumphal Arch//, 1996.[(Source: [[http://www.c3.hu/scca/butterfly/Revesz/projecthu.html|http://www.c3.hu/scca/butterfly/Revesz/projecthu.html]]; //Balkon//, no. 3, 1996, p. 34.)]'' |
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| The first example is //The Triumphal Arch//, an art piece by Révész presented at the C<sup>3</sup> exhibition called //The Butterfly Effect// (//A Pillangó-hatás//) in 1996. The exhibition was the first attempt to present contemporary media art in a historical context in Hungary. The material exhibited in the halls of the Art Gallery (Műcsarnok) comprised of two parts: //Media relics// (//Médiarelikviák//) showed Hungarian, Central and Eastern European discoveries of technology and media history, while //Coordinates of the Present// (//Jelenkoordináták//) displayed Hungarian and international works of media art.[([[http://www.c3.hu/c3/publications/index.php?kiid=16|http://www.C3.hu/C3/publications/index.php?kiid=16]] Accessed 15.2.2022)] | The first example is //The Triumphal Arch//, an art piece by Révész presented at the C<sup>3</sup> exhibition called //The Butterfly Effect// (//A Pillangó-hatás//) in 1996. The exhibition was the first attempt to present contemporary media art in a historical context in Hungary. The material exhibited in the halls of the Art Gallery (Műcsarnok) comprised of two parts: //Media relics// (//Médiarelikviák//) showed Hungarian, Central and Eastern European discoveries of technology and media history, while //Coordinates of the Present// (//Jelenkoordináták//) displayed Hungarian and international works of media art.[([[http://www.c3.hu/c3/publications/index.php?kiid=16|http://www.C3.hu/C3/publications/index.php?kiid=16]] Accessed 15.2.2022)] |
| {{c3-9.jpg?450}} {{c3-10.jpg?450}} | {{c3-9.jpg?450}} {{c3-10.jpg?450}} |
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| ''Révész László László, //Triumphal Arch//, 1996.[(Source: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcxAUma0-Ig&list=PL982824821BA596DB&index=47|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcxAUma0-Ig&list=PL982824821BA596DB&index=47]].)]'' | ''Fig. 4, 5: Révész László László, //Triumphal Arch//, 1996.[(Source: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcxAUma0-Ig&list=PL982824821BA596DB&index=47|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcxAUma0-Ig&list=PL982824821BA596DB&index=47]].)]'' |
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| === SAN === | === SAN === |
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| ''Révész László László, //SAN//, 1997-1998. Exhibition in Berlin.[(Source: http://www.mediamodell.c3.hu/)]'' | ''Fig. 6: Révész László László, //SAN//, 1997-1998. Exhibition in Berlin.[(Source: http://www.mediamodell.c3.hu/)]'' |
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| We are quoting the full text because of its complexity and obscurity. In one of the photos to illustrate it you can see a still image of the video described above, in the others a two dimensional map/floor plan turned into 3D, where stills of the video participants appearing as couples were inserted in designated spots. It was the map that was probably rotatable or walkable in some way, while the inserted film stills as two dimensional cards modelled in 3D could be viewed from different directions. | We are quoting the full text because of its complexity and obscurity. In one of the photos to illustrate it you can see a still image of the video described above, in the others a two dimensional map/floor plan turned into 3D, where stills of the video participants appearing as couples were inserted in designated spots. It was the map that was probably rotatable or walkable in some way, while the inserted film stills as two dimensional cards modelled in 3D could be viewed from different directions. |
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| ''Révész László László, //SAN//, 1997-1998, The Art Gallery, Budapest.[(Source: //Média Modell//, exh.cat.; [[http://www.c3.hu/collection/videomuveszet/muveszek/Revesz/cv.html#san|http://www.c3.hu/collection/videomuveszet/muveszek/Revesz/cv.html#san]].)]'' | ''Fig. 7: Révész László László, //SAN//, 1997-1998, The Art Gallery, Budapest.[(Source: //Média Modell//, exh.cat.; [[http://www.c3.hu/collection/videomuveszet/muveszek/Revesz/cv.html#san|http://www.c3.hu/collection/videomuveszet/muveszek/Revesz/cv.html#san]].)]'' |
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| ''Révész László László, //SAN//, 1997-1998, The Art Gallery, Budapest.[(Source: //Média Modell//.)]'' | ''Fig. 8: Révész László László, //SAN//, 1997-1998, The Art Gallery, Budapest.[(Source: //Média Modell//.)]'' |
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| Besides the exhibition catalogue, the small computer escaped all other photographers’ and documenters’ attention, the exhibition was even video taped as if the monitor complementing the installation had not been there.[(Exhibition documentation: ‘Média Modell’, exhibition documentation: ‘Intermédia, új képfajták, interaktív technikák’: The Art Gallery 31 August 2000-24 September. The exhibition was jointly organised by the Association of Hungarian Artists and the Art Gallery. Co-organiser: the C3 Foundation (video tape of the opening and the exhibition: 1 ea video tape, articles, photocopied press cut: 33 sheets of paper)]) It was omitted from the picture, superficial viewers did not realize that it belonged to this work. | Besides the exhibition catalogue, the small computer escaped all other photographers’ and documenters’ attention, the exhibition was even video taped as if the monitor complementing the installation had not been there.[(Exhibition documentation: ‘Média Modell’, exhibition documentation: ‘Intermédia, új képfajták, interaktív technikák’: The Art Gallery 31 August 2000-24 September. The exhibition was jointly organised by the Association of Hungarian Artists and the Art Gallery. Co-organiser: the C3 Foundation (video tape of the opening and the exhibition: 1 ea video tape, articles, photocopied press cut: 33 sheets of paper)]) It was omitted from the picture, superficial viewers did not realize that it belonged to this work. |
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| ''Révész László László, //Transer//, 2001. Trieste Contemporanea, Trieste. Photo: Marino Ierman. [(Source: https://www.triestecontemporanea.it/en/2020/08/30/both-ways-hungary/)]'' | ''Fig. 9: Révész László László, //Transer//, 2001. Trieste Contemporanea, Trieste. Photo: Marino Ierman. [(Source: https://www.triestecontemporanea.it/en/2020/08/30/both-ways-hungary/)]'' |
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| In the text of the exhibition guide, the curator, Anna Bálványos characterizes Révész’s work with this sentence: :”... his video //Transfer// is based on the idea that the movement of the Earth can be used in transport: Lyon and Szekszárd, a city in a wine region in Hungary, are on the same latitude, so wine transportation to Lyon can be easily solved according to that.”[([[https://www.triestecontemporanea.it/en/2020/08/30/both-ways-hungary/|https://www.triestecontemporanea.it/en/2020/08/30/both-ways-hungary/]] Accessed 02/03/2022)] All other texts published about the exhibition basically quote these summary type sentences word for word, because on the basis of a virtual exhibition published on the site of Trieste Contemporanea, it seems that the video was shown without any further written explanation, although in itself it can hardly be interpreted and is really obscure. | In the text of the exhibition guide, the curator, Anna Bálványos characterizes Révész’s work with this sentence: :”... his video //Transfer// is based on the idea that the movement of the Earth can be used in transport: Lyon and Szekszárd, a city in a wine region in Hungary, are on the same latitude, so wine transportation to Lyon can be easily solved according to that.”[([[https://www.triestecontemporanea.it/en/2020/08/30/both-ways-hungary/|https://www.triestecontemporanea.it/en/2020/08/30/both-ways-hungary/]] Accessed 02/03/2022)] All other texts published about the exhibition basically quote these summary type sentences word for word, because on the basis of a virtual exhibition published on the site of Trieste Contemporanea, it seems that the video was shown without any further written explanation, although in itself it can hardly be interpreted and is really obscure. |
| {{c3-18.jpg?640}} | {{c3-18.jpg?640}} |
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| ''Révész László László, //Transer//, 2001.[(Source: Erőss and Mélyi 2001.)]'' | ''Fig. 10: Révész László László, //Transer//, 2001.[(Source: Erőss and Mélyi 2001.)]'' |
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| An information booklet was made for the 2001 //Science Fiction// series of events, and also a smaller catalogue in connection with the exhibition, the latter including Révész’s interpretation in its entirety, and it turns out that, in fact, we are watching a a filmed report about the scientific works of a fictitious inventor, which was made after the mysterious disappearance of the inventor and in which his disciples half convincingly, half disbelievingly tell about his plan, namely, that he would use the energy of the Earth’s rotation in some obscure way to solve international transportation on the same latitude. Transportation would work with a machinery that he invented. As an explanation for the workings of the machinery, during an experimental journey, due to the sponsorship of a film factory he would document the rotation of the Earth as a photogram made about the stars on a roll of film stretched on the ground on the complete route between Szekszárd and Lyon. | An information booklet was made for the 2001 //Science Fiction// series of events, and also a smaller catalogue in connection with the exhibition, the latter including Révész’s interpretation in its entirety, and it turns out that, in fact, we are watching a a filmed report about the scientific works of a fictitious inventor, which was made after the mysterious disappearance of the inventor and in which his disciples half convincingly, half disbelievingly tell about his plan, namely, that he would use the energy of the Earth’s rotation in some obscure way to solve international transportation on the same latitude. Transportation would work with a machinery that he invented. As an explanation for the workings of the machinery, during an experimental journey, due to the sponsorship of a film factory he would document the rotation of the Earth as a photogram made about the stars on a roll of film stretched on the ground on the complete route between Szekszárd and Lyon. |
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| ''Alexei Shulgin's //Form//, 1997, on //Home Page//, 2022. Source: C3 Foundation.'' | ''Fig. 11: Alexei Shulgin's //Form//, 1997, on //Home Page//, 2022. Source: C3 Foundation.'' |
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| The net art collection has been created in line with C³'s original aims: to promote and explore the potential of the internet for the general public. There are three categories of net art works in the collection: 1) works created as part of an international residency programme, 2) works created by local artists, and 3) websites that are not created with artistic intent but retain some artistic value (this category includes websites created to document exhibitions, conferences, radio stations, video collections, etc.). As with most early net art works, their interdisciplinary nature makes them difficult to categorise. While Alexei Shulgin's //Form// (1997) is an example of a classic net art work,[(http://www.c3.hu/collection/form/)] the same cannot be said of //Ctrl-Space// (1999) by the Dutch-Belgian artist duo Joan Heemskerk and Dirk Paesmans (JoDi). This is listed under web projects on the C³ website, but in reality it is not a net art piece, but a downloadable file which was then uploaded into a computer game called Quake to create a unique gaming environment. //Ctrl-Space// is described as a network game that can be accessed and played on the internet, but the definition of a network game has changed significantly since 1999 and means something different. Another example of an interdisciplinary net art work is //Lapsus Memoriae// (2002) by urtica (Violeta Vojvodic + Eduard Balaz), an online memory game.[(https://urtica.org/artworks/lapsus-memoriae.html)] | The net art collection has been created in line with C³'s original aims: to promote and explore the potential of the internet for the general public. There are three categories of net art works in the collection: 1) works created as part of an international residency programme, 2) works created by local artists, and 3) websites that are not created with artistic intent but retain some artistic value (this category includes websites created to document exhibitions, conferences, radio stations, video collections, etc.). As with most early net art works, their interdisciplinary nature makes them difficult to categorise. While Alexei Shulgin's //Form// (1997) is an example of a classic net art work,[(http://www.c3.hu/collection/form/)] the same cannot be said of //Ctrl-Space// (1999) by the Dutch-Belgian artist duo Joan Heemskerk and Dirk Paesmans (JoDi). This is listed under web projects on the C³ website, but in reality it is not a net art piece, but a downloadable file which was then uploaded into a computer game called Quake to create a unique gaming environment. //Ctrl-Space// is described as a network game that can be accessed and played on the internet, but the definition of a network game has changed significantly since 1999 and means something different. Another example of an interdisciplinary net art work is //Lapsus Memoriae// (2002) by urtica (Violeta Vojvodic + Eduard Balaz), an online memory game.[(https://urtica.org/artworks/lapsus-memoriae.html)] |
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| ''Olia Lialina, //Agatha Appears//, 1997. Source: C3 Foundation.'' | ''Fig. 12: Olia Lialina, //Agatha Appears//, 1997. Source: C3 Foundation.'' |
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| > "To Netscape4.0 and after only | > "To Netscape4.0 and after only |
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| ''//Home Page// in Netscape, one of the most popular browsers of the 1990s. Graphics and concept by Márk Fridvalszki. Source: C3 Foundation.'' | ''Fig. 13: //Home Page// in Netscape, one of the most popular browsers of the 1990s. Graphics and concept by Márk Fridvalszki. Source: C3 Foundation.'' |
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| The site starts with a rotating globe, which suggests the idea of the internet as a way to connect the world. These pre-pages were also a common feature of early websites, usually containing information or a simple 'Enter' button to give the underlying webpage some time to load. After entering, visitors are faced with the main menu. In structuring the menu items, we were careful to ensure that they were poetic but informative, that the topics were distinguishable even if related (e.g. there are links between the 'Cyberspace' and 'Grid' pages, but their focus is noticeably different), and that the dual--local and universal--references of the project worked well together. A good example of this is when a timeline is superimposed over the dot-com balloon graph to give a sense of the interplay between the Hungarian and wider context, and that Hungary was indeed relatively early in terms of internet access and net art. | The site starts with a rotating globe, which suggests the idea of the internet as a way to connect the world. These pre-pages were also a common feature of early websites, usually containing information or a simple 'Enter' button to give the underlying webpage some time to load. After entering, visitors are faced with the main menu. In structuring the menu items, we were careful to ensure that they were poetic but informative, that the topics were distinguishable even if related (e.g. there are links between the 'Cyberspace' and 'Grid' pages, but their focus is noticeably different), and that the dual--local and universal--references of the project worked well together. A good example of this is when a timeline is superimposed over the dot-com balloon graph to give a sense of the interplay between the Hungarian and wider context, and that Hungary was indeed relatively early in terms of internet access and net art. |
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| ''//Home Page//, www.homepage.C3.hu. Source: C3 Foundation.'' | ''Fig. 14: //Home Page//, www.homepage.C3.hu. Source: C3 Foundation.'' |
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| Under ‘Technoculture’, an interdisciplinary understanding of the word is demonstrated: | Under ‘Technoculture’, an interdisciplinary understanding of the word is demonstrated: |
