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Projects like the New Media Museums provide a good opportunity to look at the ways in which other institutions are tackling similar issues to ours. During our initial meetings with Dušan Barok, we were inspired by the best practices he shared with us, one example being SFMOMA Media Wiki. At SFMOMA, the MediaWiki platform is used as a documentation tool "to help represent the aboutness of contemporary art through reimagined, open-ended object records that can accommodate differing degrees of variability in art, and for which collaboration among individuals and teams is key."[(https://stedelijkstudies.com/journal/reimagining-the-object-record-sfmomas-mediawiki/)] The inherently unstable nature of new media is reflected and supported by the wiki, a low-barrier, collaborative tool used to document a list of equipment, technical narrative, software, installation guide, exhibition history with photo documentation, and multiple iterations of an artwork. Each iteration (the artwork's installation in a different environment and setting) is documented in the wiki, hence the need to change other parts of the documentation. If any of the iterations (artwork exhibitions) over time needed to replace or update any component of the artwork, the changes need to be reflected in the installation guide or software section of the documentation on the wiki page. The wiki does not replace the CMS, licensing database, or digital asset management systems (DAMS) used to store images from the exhibition. It serves as an interface between these various systems and processes. | Projects like the New Media Museums provide a good opportunity to look at the ways in which other institutions are tackling similar issues to ours. During our initial meetings with Dušan Barok, we were inspired by the best practices he shared with us, one example being SFMOMA Media Wiki. At SFMOMA, the MediaWiki platform is used as a documentation tool "to help represent the aboutness of contemporary art through reimagined, open-ended object records that can accommodate differing degrees of variability in art, and for which collaboration among individuals and teams is key."[(https://stedelijkstudies.com/journal/reimagining-the-object-record-sfmomas-mediawiki/)] The inherently unstable nature of new media is reflected and supported by the wiki, a low-barrier, collaborative tool used to document a list of equipment, technical narrative, software, installation guide, exhibition history with photo documentation, and multiple iterations of an artwork. Each iteration (the artwork's installation in a different environment and setting) is documented in the wiki, hence the need to change other parts of the documentation. If any of the iterations (artwork exhibitions) over time needed to replace or update any component of the artwork, the changes need to be reflected in the installation guide or software section of the documentation on the wiki page. The wiki does not replace the CMS, licensing database, or digital asset management systems (DAMS) used to store images from the exhibition. It serves as an interface between these various systems and processes. |
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| ''Fig. 3: Marek Kvetan, //ECHO// (2017). Photo: Adam Šakový.'' |
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==== Documentation change ==== | ==== Documentation change ==== |
In 2021, the SNG received a generous donation for the acquisition of artworks from five contemporary Slovak artists. The acquisition and exhibition of these artworks (//You Can't Buy a Butterfly//[(https://www.sng.sk/en/exhibitions/3049_you-cant-buy-a-butterfly-contemporary-art-donated-by-tatra-banka)]) was an ideal opportunity to capture the complex information related to their installation, technical elements and other aspects: from A to Z - from the Artist's Idea to almost Zero questions. Given this complexity, we realized that one person (the curator) cannot do it alone, as is the case with traditional artworks such as paintings or drawings. Documenting artworks from new media collections in a new way is based on teamwork. | In 2021, the SNG received a generous donation for the acquisition of artworks from five contemporary Slovak artists. The acquisition and exhibition of these artworks (//You Can't Buy a Butterfly//[(https://www.sng.sk/en/exhibitions/3049_you-cant-buy-a-butterfly-contemporary-art-donated-by-tatra-banka)]) was an ideal opportunity to capture the complex information related to their installation, technical elements and other aspects: from A to Z - from the Artist's Idea to almost Zero questions. Given this complexity, we realized that one person (the curator) cannot do it alone, as is the case with traditional artworks such as paintings or drawings. Documenting artworks from new media collections in a new way is based on teamwork. |
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One of the acquired works is a triptych of wooden chests, //ECHO//, by the Slovak artist Marek Kvetan. It is a multimedia installation, a triptych of found objects of wooden wedding chests with original perforations (folk motifs), enriched with hardware and software (diodes, speakers, 3-channel light and sound program in a loop), in the edition of 1. | One of the acquired works is a triptych of wooden chests, //ECHO//, by the Slovak artist Marek Kvetan. It is a multimedia installation, a triptych of found objects of wooden wedding chests with original perforations (folk motifs), enriched with hardware and software (diodes, speakers, 3-channel light and sound program in a loop). |
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We use //ECHO// as a case study for new documentation. In addition to standard metadata such as description, title, date, technique, measurements and material, we added three important content pillars: artist's intent, installation guide and technical rider. Team members had two meetings before gathering and recording the information and process. The group consisted of a curator, a conservator-restorer, and colleagues from the digital technology and installation departments. | We use //ECHO// as a case study for new documentation. In addition to standard metadata such as description, title, date, technique, measurements and material, we added three important content pillars: artist's intent, installation guide and technical rider. Team members had two meetings before gathering and recording the information and process. The group consisted of a curator, a conservator-restorer, and colleagues from the digital technology and installation departments. |
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{{sng-3.jpg?640}} | |
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''Fig. 3: Marek Kvetan, //ECHO// (2017). Photo: Adam Šakový.'' | |
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=== Artist's intent === | === Artist's intent === |
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In this case, the installation instructions were not crucial because the artwork consists of only three components that need to be wired for electricity. However, it should include information on space requirements and constraints along with photo documentation. | In this case, the installation instructions were not crucial because the artwork consists of only three components that need to be wired for electricity. However, it should include information on space requirements and constraints along with photo documentation. |
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=== Technical rider === | |
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This part of the documentation was the most challenging. It started with the author's statement "just plug it in and adjust the volume" and ended with a six-page long instructions. Our colleagues required as much detail as possible about the LED lights, MP3 player, impulse source and radio frequency controller. The artist who worked with the sound and lighting programmer was invited for an interview and his contact details are listed in the guide. | |
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{{sng-4.jpg?640}} | {{sng-4.jpg?640}} |
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''Fig. 4: Marek Kvetan setting up //ECHO// at the //You Can't Buy a Butterfly// exhibition. Photo: Juraj Starovecký.'' | ''Fig. 4: Marek Kvetan setting up //ECHO// at the //You Can't Buy a Butterfly// exhibition. Photo: Juraj Starovecký.'' |
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| === Technical rider === |
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| This part of the documentation was the most challenging. It started with the author's statement "just plug it in and adjust the volume" and ended with a six-page long instructions. Our colleagues required as much detail as possible about the LED lights, MP3 player, impulse source and radio frequency controller. The artist who worked with the sound and lighting programmer was invited for an interview and his contact details are listed in the guide. |
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==== Lessons learned ==== | ==== Lessons learned ==== |
Transcribe the essential information from the recordings into text. | Transcribe the essential information from the recordings into text. |
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{{sng-5.jpg?640}} | ==== Next steps ==== |
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''Fig. 5: Wiki page for Marek Kvetan, //ECHO//.'' | It is essential that this pilot project becomes an ongoing internal process for documenting all newly acquired or exhibited new media artworks. All stakeholders should be informed about it and invited to participate. The next step is to upgrade our CMS and its data structure to be able to record the specifics of new media, expand the vocabularies (material, type of work), and modify the documentation methodology (describing the components of an artwork as items with specific materials and dimensions). The team should agree on templates for documentation on the wiki, establish a common template structure and quality standards for A/V recordings. Each artwork to be acquired for the Other Media collection will then be documented on the wiki using this common template (along with the CMS record). As we cannot expect all artworks acquired for the Other Media collection to be documented in this way in the near future, we will develop a plan to prioritise the artworks and select those that are most challenging to install or interpret. |
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==== Next steps ==== | {{sng-5.jpg?640}} |
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It is essential to scale this pilot project into an ongoing internal process that will be used to document all newly acquired or exhibited new media artworks. All those involved should be informed about it and invited to participate. The next step is to upgrade our CMS and its data structure to be able to record the specifics of new media, expand the vocabularies (material, type of work), and modify the documentation methodology (describing the components of an artwork as items with specific materials and dimensions). The team should agree on templates for documentation on the wiki, establish a common template structure and quality standards for audio and visual recordings. Then each artwork to be acquired for the Other Media collection will be documented on the wiki in this common template (along with the CMS record). Since we cannot expect all artworks acquired for the Other Media collection to be documented in this way in the near future, we will develop a plan to prioritize the artworks and select those that are most challenging to install or interpret. | ''Fig. 5: Wiki page for Marek Kvetan, //ECHO//.'' |
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~~REFNOTES~~ | ~~REFNOTES~~ |
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See also video presentation [[sng|You Can't Buy a Butterfly. New Methods for Registering Acquisitions of Intermedia Artworks at the Slovak National Gallery]] by Lucia Gregorová Stach and Mária Bohumelová in this volume. | See also video presentation [[sng|You Can't Buy a Butterfly]] by Lucia Gregorová Stach and Mária Bohumelová in this volume. |
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