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Data sheet (Event):

Exhibition "Seeing Double" on the emulation and preservation of contemporary art (New York, United States, March 19 - May 16 2004)

Title of event
Seeing Double: Emulation in Theory and Practice
Start date
2004-03-19
End date
2004-05-16
Event location
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, New York, U.S.
Type of event
Exposition
Participation method
Commentaire
Theme
1- Conservation of media art

Observer: Mélanie Avice

The exhibition Seeing Double: Emulation in Theory and Practice, which was held from March 19 to May 16, 2004, within the framework of the partnership between the Daniel Langlois Foundation for Art, Science and Technology and the Guggenheim Museum, focused on emulation as a preservation technique for installations. The exhibition presented works of art using outmoded media next to new emulated versions of the same works, allowing preservation experts and the general public alike to directly compare the two versions and decide for themselves whether the re-creation succeeded in conserving the spirit of the original work.

The original works presented were: I Shot Andy Warhol (Arcangel, Cory; BEIGE, 2002); [phage] (Flanagan, Mary, 1998); JET SET WILLY Variations (JODI, 2002); Site (Morris, Robert, 1964); TV Crown (Paik, Nam June, 1965); Color Panel v1.0 (Simon, John F. Jr., 1999); and The Erl King (Friedman, Roberta; Weinbren, Grahame, 1982-1985).

The exhibition Seeing Double is also the subject of a Web site. On the site, each work exhibited is presented with short texts describing the original and re-created versions as well as an interview with the artists on the preservation of their works. Reading these texts, one realizes the importance of the artist’s participation in conserving the works, as he or she can offer insight into the choice of the ideal preservation strategy (migration, emulation, storage, recording, etc.). In addition, each of the texts describing the re-creations emphasizes the concept of the “spirit of the original” and the necessary scrutiny involved in choosing the best preservation strategy. The site also carries a highly relevant link to the transcript of the symposium Echoes of Art: Emulation as a Preservation Strategy. This symposium, which was held in conjunction with the exhibition, presented the results of interviews with the artists, preservation experts and the general public on their assessment of the extent to which the re-creations in Seeing Double succeeded. Disclosure of the results was intended to spur debate among artists, programmers, curators, conservators, and others on the obsolescence of the technologies used in art and the role of emulation as a preservation strategy.

Links:

http://www.variablemedia.net/e/seeingdouble/index.html
Section of Variable Media Network Web site devoted to the exhibition Seeing Double: Emulation in Theory and Practice [On-line] (Page consulted August 30, 2005)

http://www.variablemedia.net/e/echoes/index.html
Section of Variable Media Network Web site devoted to the symposium Echoes of Art: Emulation as a Preservation Strategy [On-line] (Page consulted August 30, 2005)


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