Time Based Media Art
Behind the scenes
The Time Based Media Art department is responsible for the presentation, ongoing care and conservation of the multimedia art collections. Setting up preservation strategies when new works are acquired also falls under the responsibility of this department.
The Stedelijk Museum’s acquisition of multimedia art started at the end of the 1960s. Today the collection comprises about 1700 single screen works within moving image and sound holdings and 250 installations works in which sculptural elements predominate.
MULTIMEDIA ART ON DISPLAY
The presentation of multimedia art mainly takes place within the framework of the museum’s exhibitions program. Once a multimedia artwork goes on display, it needs constant maintenance in order to ensure it runs faultlessly. This challenge is met by the audiovisual art-handling team.
Furthermore, all presentations are thoroughly documented for future reference in images and writing.
PRESERVATION CHALLENGES
Due to their eclectic and inherently ephemeral nature, multimedia artworks present complex preservation challenges. They require a constant awareness of the ever-changing technological world and the influence it will have on the preservation and thereby presentation of the multimedia collection. It is the responsibility of the Audiovisual Collection Care department to ensure that the multimedia collection remains available to future generations and that appropriate preservation plans are developed.
