Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Re: [Yasmin_discussions] re-collection: Vasulka Archives

Dear Richard,
Thanks for updating me with info about Steina and Woody Vasulka.   In Nov.-Dec. 1987,  my "Computer Angels" and the Vasulka's "The West" were the two exhibition filling the Fine Arts Center Art Gallery at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.  We also shared a catalog.  At the time, I was head of the art department at Pratt and adjust professor of computer graphics at SUNY Stony Brook.  I was also happy to spend time with the Vasulkas at ZKM Karlsruhe about ten years ago when I lectured there.  We're mutual friends of ZKM professor Michael Bielicky.

Best wishes for the success of you project.
Mel 

Professor Mel Alexenberg
Author of The Future of Art in a Postdigital Age: From Hellenistic to Hebraic Consciousness and Educating Artists for the Future: Learning at the Intersections of Art, Science, Technology, and Culture (both published by Intellect Books/University of Chicago Press) and in Hebrew: Dialogic Art in a Digital World: Judaism and Contemporary Art.
Former art professor, Columbia University, head of the art department, Pratt Institute, research fellow, MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies, and professor at universities and art colleges in Israel
melalexenberg@yahoo.com, http://www.melalexenberg.com


On Monday, August 11, 2014 1:07 AM, Richard Lowenberg <rl@1st-mile.org> wrote:

>
>
>Thanks everyone for this very informative and important discussion.    It resonates with very real current involvements of mine, which I'll describe below.   
>
>By way of personal introduction:  I've been on a creative path since the mid-sixties, variously exploring our emergent 'information society', along the way having been a student helper at Nine Evenings, being one of the Kitchen's founding team in '71, initiating numerous arts-sciences collaborations, deploying early analog, digital and photonic media and tools, setting examples for open telecom. infrastructure and services at community, state and national scales, all within an integrated ecological context.      www.1st-mile.org   
  www.radlab.com   
>
>I have recently stepped into helping facilitate and realize the Vasulka (Steina and Woody) Archives.  Jon will recall a past effort to use MARCEL for Vasulka archiving.  Their work was also 'archived' by the Daniel Langois Foundation in an earlier iteration.    www.vasulka.org        www.fondation-langlois.org/html/e/page.php?NumPage=422
>
>There are a number of elements now converging to make the Vasulka Archives and some major upcoming London/Paris shows, a publication series and more, likely realities (and much work).
>
>The Brakhage Center at UC Boulder, by agreement, will now be the primary Vasulka Archive location and online node in the US.  The National Gallery of Art, (building the new Vasulka Chamber, to open in Oct.) in Reykjavik, Iceland, will also create a
Vasulka Archive, along  with nodes in Brno, CZ and Santa Fe, NM (home to the Vasulkas since 1980).    Much has already been done.  What seems most interesting to me (having known Woody and Steina since 1969), is the larger 'electronic media arts ecoystem' represented in their life's work and creative associations, from the '60s to the present.  Representing, linking to and providing long-term access to this dynamic 'electronic media arts ecosystem' is intended be a major aspect of the Vasulka archiving effort.
>
>In terms of the means of preservation and archiving, Woody's work especially, requires understandings not just of various video tape formats, photographs, and documents, but of 'old code' and one-of-a-kind machines, which want to live on.    My sense is that the Vasulka Archives could and should serve as a testbed for 'best practices' in preservation, archiving,
searchability, open public access, learning, international cultural support and exchange.
>
>One other note:  I am Board President of the annual CURRENTS: Santa Fe International New Media Festival.    http://currentsnewmedia.org/   
>I am now considering the likelihood and worth of working to arrange/host an "Old & New Media Preservation" working meeting and public forum, to be held as part of CURRENTS, June 2015.    If the idea, place and time seem right, I'd greatly appreciate, ideas, involvements and recommendations, so as to use this opportunity to move the field, current efforts and required funding forward.
>
>Much more to discuss about the devil in the details, if folks are interested, on or off this list.
>All creative best,
>Richard
>
>---------------------------------------------------------
>Richard Lowenberg, Executive Director
>1st-Mile Institute          www.1st-mile.org 
>P. O.  Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM    87504
>505-603-5200                rl@1st-mile.org
>
>---------------------------------------------------------
>
>
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SBSCRIBE: click on the link to the list you wish to subscribe to. In the page that will appear ("info page"), enter e-mail address, name, and password in the fields found further down the page.
HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE: on the info page, scroll all the way down and enter your e-mail address in the last field. Enter password if asked. Click on the unsubscribe button on the page that will appear ("options page").
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If you prefer to read the posts on a blog go to http://yasminlist.blogspot.com/