Achieving cultural sustainability through the preservation of video art: open distribution platforms

Video art has earned its spot within cultural heritage since the beginning of the 1970s, especially as a medium for activist practices, and it is now one of the most collected and exhibited artistic typologies in museums. The use of video art as a means of social protest and reflection continues to...

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Main Author: Paula Fernández Valdés
Format: Article
Language:Catalan
Published: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya 2023-02-01
Series:Artnodes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://raco.cat/index.php/Artnodes/article/view/402845
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author Paula Fernández Valdés
author_facet Paula Fernández Valdés
author_sort Paula Fernández Valdés
collection DOAJ
description Video art has earned its spot within cultural heritage since the beginning of the 1970s, especially as a medium for activist practices, and it is now one of the most collected and exhibited artistic typologies in museums. The use of video art as a means of social protest and reflection continues to produce relevant artworks in the present day that constitute a part of our collective memory and that need to be safeguarded for the future, since they act as a valuable means of expression for marginal collectives and alternative ways of living. In this regard, the preservation of cultural heritage is a part of what has been called cultural sustainability: an essential part of sustainable development, which refers to the necessity of ensuring the access of future generations to past and current artistic practices. The following research reflects on what cultural sustainability means for cultural institutions and museums, and how availability is fundamental to the preservation of video artworks, endangered by technological obsolescence. Specifically, single-channel video is examined from a conservator’s perspective and some ethical considerations are examined regarding its obsolescence and reproducibility. Subsequently, with the idea that proliferation equals conservation, some institutional initiatives are presented that use the Internet as an environment for video art distribution across the world; the issue of copyright is also examined, under the belief of open distribution and fair use. What does the future of video art hold? How can we ensure sustainable cultural development? And is it possible for museums to balance private and public interests? This article reflects on these questions and tries to provide some answers based on the idea of preservation through open access.
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spelling doaj.art-647cf5e449ee493497e9d7267401738b2023-02-06T19:52:13ZcatUniversitat Oberta de CatalunyaArtnodes1695-59512023-02-013110.7238/artnodes.v0i31.402845Achieving cultural sustainability through the preservation of video art: open distribution platformsPaula Fernández Valdés0Universitat Politècnica de ValènciaVideo art has earned its spot within cultural heritage since the beginning of the 1970s, especially as a medium for activist practices, and it is now one of the most collected and exhibited artistic typologies in museums. The use of video art as a means of social protest and reflection continues to produce relevant artworks in the present day that constitute a part of our collective memory and that need to be safeguarded for the future, since they act as a valuable means of expression for marginal collectives and alternative ways of living. In this regard, the preservation of cultural heritage is a part of what has been called cultural sustainability: an essential part of sustainable development, which refers to the necessity of ensuring the access of future generations to past and current artistic practices. The following research reflects on what cultural sustainability means for cultural institutions and museums, and how availability is fundamental to the preservation of video artworks, endangered by technological obsolescence. Specifically, single-channel video is examined from a conservator’s perspective and some ethical considerations are examined regarding its obsolescence and reproducibility. Subsequently, with the idea that proliferation equals conservation, some institutional initiatives are presented that use the Internet as an environment for video art distribution across the world; the issue of copyright is also examined, under the belief of open distribution and fair use. What does the future of video art hold? How can we ensure sustainable cultural development? And is it possible for museums to balance private and public interests? This article reflects on these questions and tries to provide some answers based on the idea of preservation through open access. https://raco.cat/index.php/Artnodes/article/view/402845video artactivismpreservationcultural sustainabilityaccess
spellingShingle Paula Fernández Valdés
Achieving cultural sustainability through the preservation of video art: open distribution platforms
Artnodes
video art
activism
preservation
cultural sustainability
access
title Achieving cultural sustainability through the preservation of video art: open distribution platforms
title_full Achieving cultural sustainability through the preservation of video art: open distribution platforms
title_fullStr Achieving cultural sustainability through the preservation of video art: open distribution platforms
title_full_unstemmed Achieving cultural sustainability through the preservation of video art: open distribution platforms
title_short Achieving cultural sustainability through the preservation of video art: open distribution platforms
title_sort achieving cultural sustainability through the preservation of video art open distribution platforms
topic video art
activism
preservation
cultural sustainability
access
url https://raco.cat/index.php/Artnodes/article/view/402845
work_keys_str_mv AT paulafernandezvaldes achievingculturalsustainabilitythroughthepreservationofvideoartopendistributionplatforms