Blurriness in Media Art Archiving Where Theory Encounters Practice, the Archive of Digital Art (ADA)
by Alexander Wöran, Laura Ettel, and Isabella Iskra
Abstract:
Due to its border-transgressing, fast-paced nature, and recalcitrance for clear-cut characterizations, media art has occupied the minds of art researchers, theorists, and archivists for many years. Today, particularly regarding questions of its documentation, there is a multitude of positions, approaches, and concepts produced in different contexts—academic, institutional, or from within the art scene itself. Of course, this vivid discourse signals the importance of the art form. Nevertheless, one could wonder if this circumstance adds to the field’s elusiveness and how it affects the hands-on activity of archiving. Based on our work with the online platform Archive of Digital Art (ADA), we want to share our practical experiences of media art archiving in the digital realm and interweave it with some theoretical considerations. Is there any space for blurriness? And if so, is it a daunting or a productive trait? Naturally, we are advocating for the latter… but it could also be a matter of perspective.
Keywords: archives; media art; digital humanities; digital archiving; archive theory; media art theory; image analysis
How to cite: Wöran, Alexander, Laura Ettel, and Isabella Iskra. “Blurriness in Media Art Archiving Where Theory Encounters Practice, the Archive of Digital Art (ADA).” MAST, vol. 4, no. 1, April. 2023, pp. 136-158.
Copyright is retained by the authors.
© 2023 Alexander Wöran, Laura Ettel, and Isabella Iskra
Issue: vol. 4 no. 1 (2023): Special Issue: Blurring Digital Media Culture
Section: Article
Guest Editors: Tony D. Sampson and Jernej Markelj
Published: 26 April, 2023
