Open Access

Johannes Gfeller

• Auch wenn es in der Regel eilt: bevor man ein Kunstwerk erhalten kann, muss man es angemessen zu beschreiben wissen, sonst läuft man Gefahr, grobe Fehler zu begehen. Dies gilt für ein Werk auf Basis "alter" Materialien wie Stein, Holz, Leinwand, Fasern, Bindemittel und Pigmente, dies gilt in nicht geringerem Masse für ein Werk, das moderne Materialien enthält: Kunststoffe, synthetische Farben, Halbleiter und elektromagnetische Felder. Die Definition dessen, was eigentlich das elektronische Kunstwerk ausmacht, führt mitten in die Thematik, was zu berücksichtigen und was zu unternehmen ist, wenn das Werk vom Neuzustand in die Alterungsphase eintritt. ...
• The conservation and reconstruction of electronic art poses achallenge in terms of both restoration and art history. The former discipline still tends to lack the necessary technical means, while the latter lacks the descriptive tools: As concrete instances of worn-out or defective hardware or by no unplayable tapes have long been accumulating, conservational practice, where implemented, often finds itself on uncertain terrain and all too quickly seeks technocratic solutions: video tapes are copied with no thought of long-term perspectives, latterly under the motto 'digital = unproblematic', with defective devices simply being replaced by new equipment. A more selective approach would start with a better understanding of such works and allow an assessment, from case to case, of the extent to which tangible replacements can be tolerated, and from what point on they endanger the integrity of the work. This presupposes knowledge of the way works are shown but also of the characteristics of the equipment used to produce images, such as cameras, monitors or projectors. In conjunction with a process of documentation begun when the work is new, the piece can still receive an authentic showing later on, when its physical integrity is no longer guaranteed. This historically informed approach does not attempt to lend a work 'eternal youth' through continual restoration, which would make the work appear more modern than it ever was; rather it accepts that quality, perhaps even functionality, will sometimes be impaired, compensating for these losses by way of (media-based) documentation - for the sake of historical integrity. If conservation is taken seriously from the very moment of acquisition and if the 'use' of a work is sensibly limited from the start, its integrity and then authenticity can probably be preserved for a far longer period.