Session 6 – Permanence in Flux: Archival Practices

The archival preservation of experimental film and media has increased dramatically in the last decade even as archivists juggle the increasing obsolescence of everything from film stocks to video monitors to computer software and hardware. Intermedia transfers, whether from S8mm to 16mm to 35mm, or from chemical and magnetic originals to digital copies, have created new markets (DVD editions, mp4 downloads), challenged others (16mm film cooperatives) and transformed exhibition, distribution, criticism and access. The cost and specialized knowledge and labour involved in experimental media preservation accentuates gaps between North American and European archives and those in the developing world. International digital standards remain in flux, sometimes pitting the industry vs. the artist. Do industry-driven changes victimize artists or will standardization benefit wider distribution and access to experimental media? How might new channels of communication across media, nations and institutional frameworks increase both the preservation of cinematic and media heritage while increasing access and education?



Abstract: Please See http://www.experimentalcongress.org/materials for a detailed conversation between the panelists.

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