MoMA
Posts tagged ‘collection management’
September 28, 2012  |  Behind the Scenes, Library and Archives
Of Staples and Context: Adventures in Processing the Seth Siegelaub Papers

Example of an “information packet,” comprised of various related items, that Seth Siegelaub stapled together

One of the challenging and fundamental responsibilities an archivist faces in his or her work is determining the “original order” of a person or organization’s records.

September 10, 2012  |  Behind the Scenes, Collection & Exhibitions
On Loan: Claes Oldenburg’s Profile Airflow

MoMA is one of a network of museums in New York City and around the globe that often collaborate and support one another to facilitate scholarly and engaging exhibitions. One way that we do this is by loaning artworks to other institutions.

Documentation Diaries: Content vs. Technology

Joan Jonas. Mirage (installation details). 1976/1994/2003. The Museum of Modern Art. Gift of Richard Massey, Clarissa Alcock Bronfman, Agnes Gund, and Committee on Media Funds

Migrating media to accommodate rapidly evolving playback technology is a common occurrence. Our daily tendency to preserve images and sounds as we progress technologically means that we often discard old recording forms and playback equipment for digital replicas. Yet this drive to preserve content unexpectedly distorts the importance of technology as more than mere platform for content. When we disconnect media from its method of presentation we must consider the loss of contextualization for an object. Technology may seem disposable, but is it?

Documentation Diaries: Re-creating the Performance

Joan Jonas. Mirage (installation details). 1976/1994/2003. The Museum of Modern Art. Gift of Richard Massey, Clarissa Alcock Bronfman, Agnes Gund, and Committee on Media Funds. Photos: Sydney Briggs

When the Department of Media and Performance Art collects and exhibits time-based media or performance, caring for and properly installing such work is a collaboration between the artist and the Museum. Time-based media commonly uses video, film, audio, and computer programs as platforms for creativity. Often such artwork is digitally based, and it depends upon technology that may become obsolete. In the case of performance art, the ability to re-perform the work mainly relies on the artist’s memory, with the aid of documentation. Both time-based media and performance are therefore mediums in which individual works are often replicated, migrated, or emulated in order to ensure their continued existence.