"Electronic arts unplugged: Museum politics and the preservation of New Media" Didier Delmas

This paper argues that the process of preserving contemporary art needs to be situated in the context of the political economy of 21st-century museums. I review some of the taken-for-granted concepts that have directed the preservation of traditional-media art since the beginning of the 20th century. Those concepts include “authenticity,” “integrity,” and “artist’s intent.” Finally I advocate conservation strategies that take greater account of the public’s participation.

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Following a twenty-year career as a commercial and fine arts photographer, Didier Delmas is now a doctoral student in Communication Studies at McGill University with a special interest in the history of photography and visual culture. His photographs are part of the permanent collection of France’s Bibliothèque Nationale and his master’s thesis, Why 1839?: The Philosophy of Vision and the Invention of Photography, was named to the Dean’s Honours List at McGill in 2005.