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Digital Art Works

The exhibition at the ZKM | Media Museum explores questions related to collecting, exhibiting, and maintaining computer–based art works and makes the work concerning digital conservation visible.

For a few decades now, digitalization has enabled and simplified the processing and distribution of data; digital data are available on the Internet for all users at all times. Basically, however, the conservation of digital content has been subject to an increasingly rapid adaptation to new technical systems. This circumstance creates uncertainty concerning the sustainability of our cultural memory.

Using ten case studies, within the context of the EU research project digital art conservation concepts were developed for the long-term conservation of the type of art works, which have become fragile due to rapidly changing technology. Together with other works from the ZKM collection these ten case studies form the core of Digital Art Works. The Challenges of Conservation. The works open up the broad spectrum of problems in the conservation of digital art and point to the necessity of preservation.

Here and above: <i>Digital Art Works. The Challenges of Conservation</i>.
An exhibition at ZKM | Media Museum
Documentary photo “digital art conservation”, 2011
Original equipment on different — Here and above: *Digital Art Works. The Challenges of Conservation*. An exhibition at ZKM | Media Museum Documentary photo “digital art conservation”, 2011 Original equipment on different

Embedded in the didactic supporting program, the art works themselves will stand at the center: classics such as Nam June Paik's Internet Dream or Jeffrey Shaw's The Legible City will be available to visitors of the exhibition as will be the latest computer hackings by the Dutch artist duo Jodi, or the diagram poetry by the French Antoine Schmitt. Digital Art Works, then, stays abreast of an art genre that is representative of our age and art form's life of its own both inside and outside of the museum.

<i>Digital Art Works. The Challenges of Conservation</i>.
An exhibition at ZKM | Media Museum
Michael Naimark “Karlsruhe Moviemap”, 1991 ZKM-Collection
© ZKM | Karlsruhe, photo: ONUK — *Digital Art Works. The Challenges of Conservation*. An exhibition at ZKM | Media Museum Michael Naimark “Karlsruhe Moviemap”, 1991 ZKM-Collection © ZKM | Karlsruhe, photo: ONUK

Digital Art Works. The Challenges of Conservation
Curated by Bernhard Serexhe, Chiara Marchini Camia, Arnaud Obermann
Oct. 29th, 2011–Feb. 12th, 2012
ZKM | Media Museum

<i>Digital Art Works. The Challenges of Conservation</i>.
An exhibition at ZKM | Media Museum
Nam June Paik “Internet Dream”, 1994 ZKM-Collection
© ZKM | Karlsruhe, photo: EnBW, Steffen Harms — *Digital Art Works. The Challenges of Conservation*. An exhibition at ZKM | Media Museum Nam June Paik “Internet Dream”, 1994 ZKM-Collection © ZKM | Karlsruhe, photo: EnBW, Steffen Harms

<i>Digital Art Works. The Challenges of Conservation</i>.
An exhibition at ZKM | Media Museum
Documentary photo “digital art conservation”, 2011
Original bike of the installation “The Legible City” (1988-91) by Jeffrey
Shaw
© ZKM | Karlsruhe — *Digital Art Works. The Challenges of Conservation*. An exhibition at ZKM | Media Museum Documentary photo “digital art conservation”, 2011 Original bike of the installation “The Legible City” (1988-91) by Jeffrey Shaw © ZKM | Karlsruhe

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Digital Art Works

The exhibition at the ZKM | Media Museum explores questions related to collecting, exhibiting, and maintaining computer–based art works and makes the work concerning digital conservation visible.

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