Documenting the Unstable

Course Description

This course examines theories of documentation and collecting in various art forms, the history and ethics of cultural heritage and the organizational structures of collecting institutes. Particular attention will be given to current theories and practices for the documentation of born-digital art and performance art (including gaming and networked practices). It will address the meaning and value of documentation and the way it is used by different kinds of institutes, organisations and individuals that produce, collect and manage cultural material: artists, museums, festivals, archives, funding bodies and corporate institutions. It compares and contrasts the different types to reveal how they differ from one another, paying particular attention to how different goals affect documentation processes. It also looks at how similar material is handled in significantly different ways: from development, to acquisition, description, presentation and preservation.

The course provides a frame to familiarize students with current trends in artistic and creative documentation as part of performance art, installation art, gaming and networked art as well as within contemporary art that connects to the field of digital media. Professionals in the field will expose students to research and production, for example, to initiatives like Institute for Image and Sound, National Archive, museums, digital libraries and others organisations are explored as examples of the architecture and attributes of digital repositories. Emphasis will be placed on how archivists, artists and the public interact with these as part of their practice, study, or preservation of their work. Students will also develop an increased understanding of metadata and of rights management for digital materials.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to critically engage with visual documentation on a theoretical and a practical level.
Students will develop analytical and writing skills individually and as part of a team.
Students will be able to combine theory and practice in order to produce a group project within professional practices of archiving and experimental documentation.
By the end of the first year, students will have developed skills in concise writing; and at the end of the second year, students will have developed skills in visually documenting an artwork. The written description and visual documentation can be used either for grant application, funding, festival entries, publicity or preservation, and all are suitable for placement on a resume or CV.

Student Requirements / Assessment Criteria

Regularly updating of development on the wiki. The content of the wiki consists of: research and development of the project; all illustrated with visual material (code, audio/video fragments, screenshots).
After each trimester: A trimester project / graduation documentation overview, following the documentation template: http://pzwart3.wdka.hro.nl/wiki/Trimester_Projects_Archive
Critically engage in debate about archival and documentation practices and theory.
Making comparisons and analysis of documentation strategies by different parties, and relating these to own practice.
Practice: Documentation of a selected work that can be used for publicity, funding, or presentation:
- First year: each student will write a text, either for publicity or funding, of another student's work.
- Second year: in small groups (2 or 3 students) documentation will be made of a work of another student. The student whose project is documented is responsible that it happens in the best way possible.

Reading

Students are required to read the materials provided. The purpose of the readings in this course is threefold. First, the articles will familiarize the student with conceptual, material and unstable cultures of art works and their relation to social media, networks, commercial platforms, emerging technologies, and user-generated content. Second, the texts give a sense about the kinds of research and writings typically expected from professionals in the fields of art and digital culture. Third, the readings can be regarded as conceptual devices to engage with in students’ projects.

The readings and topics may change during the trimesters. Due to variations in the lengths of discussion, questions, and visual materials, not all the readings will actually be discussed. However, they are important as the content supports the assignments.

Documenting 2013

Teams

SECOND YEARS - DOCUMENTED BY
Dennis -
Mano -
Javi -
Janis -
Astrid -
Dave -
Eleanor -
Petra -
Marie -
Jasper -
Andre -
Jonas -

Archiving grad projects 2013

Contents