Video History Project

Chronology

Preserving the Immaterial: A Conference on Variable Media

Date
2001

Preserving the Immaterial: A Conference on variable Media at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum on March 30th and 31st, 2001. The focus of the conference is the museum's Variable Media Initiative, a radical new solution to the contested issues of new media preservation. Preserving the immaterial will examine case studies of artworks in a variety of ephemeral media, ranging from photo collages and film performances to video installations and Web sites.

Artists, curators, conservators, and media experts will debate strategies for safeguarding these works against deterioration, technological obsolescence, and cultural amnesia. Organized by John G. Hanhardt, Senior Curator, and Jon Ippolito, Assistant Curator, Film and Media Arts Program of the Guggenheim Museum. Artists' works studied include those of Jan Dibbets, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Ken Jacobs, Robert Morris, Mark Napier, Nam June Paik, and Meg Webster.

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"Preserving the Immaterial: A Conference on Variable Media." Video History Project, Experimental Television Center, 2011. https://www.videohistoryproject.org/preserving-immaterial-conference-variable-media.

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Summary

Preserving the Immaterial: A Conference on variable Media convened at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum on March 30–31, 2001; it focused on the museum's Variable Media Initiative and examined case studies of artworks in ephemeral media, including photo collages, film performances, video installations and Web sites. Artists, curators, conservators and media experts debated strategies for safeguarding works against deterioration, technological obsolescence and cultural amnesia. The program was organized by John G. Hanhardt, Senior Curator, and Jon Ippolito, Assistant Curator, Film and Media Arts Program; studied artists included Jan Dibbets, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Ken Jacobs, Robert Morris, Mark Napier, Nam June Paik and Meg Webster.

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Last modified 16 May 2011

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