31-10-1999

by Nadine Bors

Museums are primarily motivated by the wish to preserve objects of art and culture for posterity, unlike artists, who are rarely inclined to make a work of art with durability in mind. Restorers and curators are finding it more and more difficult to preserve contemporary works of art. Indeed, artists are using so many different materials that it is difficult to determine which are essential for preservation or restoration, and which can be replaced. Museums for contemporary art usually decide to acquire a work of art on the basis of primary information; the first presentation of a work. For museums, a description of the artistic intention is of vital importance. This makes it possible to preserve the meaning, the quality and the value of multimedia works, such as media-art installations, for the future.

Nam June Paik'sOne Candle

Lack of information
Knowledge of the artist's working method and way of thinking is of great importance to museums when it comes to making choices with regard to presentation, preservation or restoration. However, the materials used by an artist could be irrelevant to decisions on preservation. In Nam June Paik's One Candle (1988/89), which consists of a camera, a candle and five projectors, there is no such thing as original material. It is the idea that has to be preserved. Museums are aware of 'the lack of appropriate information for the preservation and presentation of contemporary art'.i Within the context of the project 'Kunstenaarsinterviews' (Interviews with Artists, 1999), the Instituut Collectie Nederland (Institute Collection the Netherlands, ICN), in collaboration with the Dutch museums for modern and contemporary art, designed a transferable data-collection method for the preservation of contemporary works of art. There is a growing awareness of a trend towards either 'preservation of the original' or acceptance of 'innovative preservation' by means of documentation of the artistic intention.

Artistic intention
The lack of clarity around the concept of 'artistic intention', which became fashionable in the 1940s, evoked discussion on 'intentional fallacy'. This refers to the artist's susceptibility to external influence, which could compromise his original artistic intentions. 'Artists' intentions are neither available nor desirable as standards for the assessment of art', according to the art philosophers W.K. Wimsatt and M.C. Breadsley.ii The intention of an artist can change during the course of time, after completion of the work. The artist's intention depends on his/her biography. Explanation of layers of meaning within the concept of intention is necessary to generate a discussion about the work of art, in order to make room for more open and uniform ideas with regard to the preservation of contemporary art, and media-art installations in particular. Restorers and curators, who are responsible for such works, are confronted specifically with questions around the practical implications of the artistic intention. It is their task to analyse the layers of meaning, and exclude any 'noise'.iii This responsibility is twofold. In the first place, it is about recovering the process on which the artistic intention is founded. And in the second place, the role of a possible shift in the artistic intention has to be investigated. The specific nature of media-art installations calls for an open, conscious attitude from the curator or restorer, with anticipatory ideas about future preservation in order to enhance the treatment of such installations.


The underlying thought The investigation into the artistic intention begins with analysis of the underlying thought, the intellectual basis of the artist's way of thinking and working.iv This includes both an overview of the artist's oeuvre, which gives an impression of the manner of working (use of materials, techniques, etc.), and an analysis of the specific work of art, which should reveal the motivation and guarantee presentation and preservation for the future. Dynamics and processes can be part of the artist's concept. This could allow for, or even be aimed at, development. Such an aim is characteristic of artists who make use of audiovisual materials or mechanisms. Indeed, the transient nature of the material is inherent in the technology used. The artistic intention of artist Peter Bogers (1956) is based on trial-and-error and processes with audiovisual materials and forms of presentation. The development process of a work is like 'an experiment leading to discoveries that are then consciously and accurately applied to a minutely considered end product.' This does not mean, however, that Bogers' large media-art installations are always presented in the same rigid form. 'I always keep the form of presentation open to change. I like 'playing' with the work by presenting it in different ways. It keeps me on my toes. In fact, the apparatus has nothing to do with it, that is only my way of showing it, the styling of the idea.' It is not only the installations that are subject to change; artistic intentions could change as well, due to the transient nature of media and apparatus. When the artist made a particular work, he had perhaps no choice between, for example, various monitors, certain effects, etc., simply because they were not available at the time. Perhaps the original intention of the artist could not be realized then, whereas it would have been possible now. This is why it is so important for the curator or restorer to disclose, as accurately as possible, the essence of the artist's intention.

Means of expression and context
The materials used by an artist are means of expression aimed at a certain effect. For the video sculpture Woodsculpture (1981), Bert Schutter (1945) piled up five monitors in walnut cabinets. They all show the same image: a fragment of the trunk of a walnut tree. To Schutter, this work was unique. The original walnut cabinets were essential to the presentation. Now that some of the monitors have broken down, Woodsculpture cannot survive. This is an extreme example, but it is indicative of how strict the artist's intention can be. Ken Feingold's video installation Childhood/Hot & Cold War (The Appearance of Nature) (1993/94) partly consists of materials that are of emotional value to the artist, such as the 1950s-style door from his parental home. Moreover, he used elements from a house in a slum area. The installation incorporates two monitor screens, one behind the dial of the clock, the other is placed in the lowermost part of the door and illuminates the pendulum. A spin of the globe on the table makes different images appear on the dial, depending on the manner of 'spinning'. The door, the elements from the house in the slums, and the images from the videotape, form the essence of the work of art. The door will eventually be completely restored, in contrast to the apparatus, which can be replaced, providing the substitute generates the same effect as the original. When the work is ready for presentation, it moves from the private workshop to the public domain. Here it first enters into a relationship with the spatial context of the exhibition area. Aspects such as surface, the colour of the walls, the plug-in facilities, or the possibility to darken the room, are important for the presentation. Then there is the interrelation between the various elements of which the media-art installation consists. This is the compositional context, which defines the preconditions for presentation. And finally, the hypothetical context could be considered. This is a presupposed context, which accounts for the concept, as in One Candle by Nam June Paik, whose concept is the original work. The context of a media-art installation plays a role in the assessment of the means that the artist has used in the creation of his work. For purposes of presentation, preservation, restoration, or replacement, the curator or restorer will examine the means of expression on biographical motives, intent and result, media and mechanism, and inherent creativity. The underlying thought, together with the means of expression, must be carefully approached and documented, because they determine the form in which the media-art installation manifests itself.

Original?
'Original' and 'authentic' are terms that are inconsistent with the transient nature of media and relevant apparatus. So what does 'original' mean in this context? Is it the intention, the message of the medium at any given moment, or the form in which the work manifests itself? Media-art installations are not just material objects. They show electronic images and include sound, selected by the artist. This is the 'real' message, even if the monitor is chosen because of a certain shape or design, and so evokes a certain Zeitgeist. There can be a connection between content and form, between message and object. In Nam June Paik's video installation TV Buddha (1974), which is part of the collection of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, a camera is pointed at a Buddha statue. The Buddha statue is staring at its own image on the design monitor. This work is recognizably representative of the time in which it was made. The shape of the monitor is essential, and has to be preserved. So, once adjusted to present-day circumstances, what should a media-art installation look like? Here, two more questions must be answered differently by or for different artists. Firstly, does the artistic effect of the installation depend on the use of specific apparatus, of which the recognizable age, form, and material qualities, or lack of qualities, are immanent in the work? Or, secondly, does the artistic impression depend on the videotape produced and the presentation as a whole? In the latter case, the apparatus is in fact unimportant and can be replaced. Of course only the artist can answer these questions, providing the existence of full documentation from the time of purchase. It is also important for the curator or restorer to know what medium was used for the realization of the work. The quality and status of the audiovisual material, for example, video, are essential for selection, preservation, and further treatment. 'In view of the reproducibility of the medium, it is [often] the original character of the work, rather than the specific technique, which is regarded as the criterion. This does justice to the medium, and makes its preservation easier. The original recording and playback equipment does not need to be preserved', because a contemporary medium can be chosen.vi The copy of the 'master tape' takes the place of the original. Both in the case of apparatus and carrier (for example, videotape), substitutes could provide a currently acceptable new original.

Conclusion and recommendations
Original materials no longer play as important a role in the authentic object as they did in traditional works of art. What does authenticity mean in relation to the material form of a media-art installation, if medium, monitors, apparatus and other components are replaceable? Authentic means genuine. Or literally, approved by the artist. It encompasses the artistic intention defined in the analysis. Authenticity in art is neither a material quality, nor something determined by the medium used. 'Authenticity' is an aesthetic definition within the cultural doctrine. It is inextricably bound up with the catch phrase 'the original of the medium' and the impossibility of making a distinction between original and reproduction. Moreover, the artist's licence to choose his materials calls for a more open-minded attitude from the curator or restorer towards innovative preservation and the concept of 'authenticity'. This should include interdisciplinary collaboration with art historians, philosophers, artists, etc., which could lead to enhanced acceptance of authenticity, and ultimately, to respect for what will be authentic in the future. Setting up a solid supporting infrastructure is essential to the curator or restorer, so that, in case of problems, he knows where to go for the right solutions and expert technical assistance. Finally, media-art installations are entitled to the same dedicated care and attention as every other artistic genre within the scope of the curator or restorer's responsibilities. With such an approach, the preservation of media-art installations can be revalued and upgraded: the curator or restorer will constructively disclose the artistic intention, and make a much-needed contribution to the preservation of the authentic contemporary work of art.

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In May 1999, Nadine Bors completed her museology studies (Management and Preservation) at the Reinwardt Academie in Amsterdam. In 1998, she designed a registration module for the practical description of media-art installations in MonteVideo/TBA's database WatsOn, and assisted in the project 'Preserving Video Art', in cooperation with various museum and institutes for contemporary art.