>Please submit to: >Media Art Database mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > >Dear Artists, >Dear Friends, > > >my inquiry concerns your contribution for the >M.A.D. Media Art Database, with >its main purpose of bringing together information on media art (art using >electronic media) in a thoroughly accessible and research-compatible pool. > >The first part of the M.A.D. about 1.100 documented Media installations, >-performances, and films as well as internet projects is based on the >results of our research published partially in >the reference-scale book Closed >Circuit Video Installations. A Contribution to the History and Theory of Media >Art. With Modules for an Encyclopaedia of Artists (published in German in >December 2004). This time we would like to present the actualised Information >medium-fairly, without any content-, language-, geographical or other >restrictions. > >I would be delighted if the project found your interest and would look forward >very much to having you provide me the following: > >1) >your Copyright-permission for the publishing of the >images/documents/photographs/diagrams of your >artworks for the sole purposes of >academic and historic documentation within the M.A.D.-Media Art Database. >M.A.D. has no commercial interests at all. At >the same time, M.A.D. develops an >information-exchange-tool and pool for Media Artists, -producers, >-distributors as well as curators and academics, where they might offer their >knowledge, opinions, critics and their services as well. > >2) >we would therefore be grateful, if you could send us an actual version of your >CV, including the list of works / projects / projects in progress, and if >wished the contact-information or the appropriate Internet-Link. > >3) >About the details concerning the implementation of the wished video >documentation and other materials in video format, we would like to inform you >separately, as soon as you express your wish to >integrate the digitalized video >files in the M.A.D.-Database. > > >We expect to have the M.A.D. online-free accessible by December 2007 at the >latest. The general information about the main purpose, goals, building up, >systematics, quality, setup, design, and structure of M.A.D. you will find >further down as a part of this message. You are very welcome to bring in your >suggestions and ideas and thus to take over the joint responsibility for the >planned information system for media art, that >should remain transparent in its >structure. > >I would be glad to answer any questions you have concerning my inquiry and our >prospective collaboration on the M.A.D.-project. > >Yours faithfully, > >Slavko Kacunko >M.A.D.-Team > > > > >M.A.D. Media Art Database > > >THE MAIN PURPOSE > >The main purpose of the M.A.D. Media Art Database is to bring together >information on media art (art using electronic media) in a thoroughly >accessible and research-compatible pool. Creating lucid links between such >multimedia archives as already exist and the >indices maintained by distribution >and production sites will engender a virtual >archive that, among other effects, >will permit research work to be done directly in situ in the archive >environment. The basis will consist of the extant information systems or those >under construction, of existing scholarly/scientific literature, exhibition >catalogues and other available material. Together with the meta-information >(records, descriptions, indices, reference terms/headings), the archive matter >will be at the disposal of the research community, students and teachers and >the public at large via an online interface. > >GOALS > >The M.A.D. Media Art Database is to provide a >pool of information on media art, >sound and sustainable in that it places particular emphasis on gathering >substantial, precise descriptions a resource hitherto given only little >attention. Various authors written summaries, consisting of extant >descriptions of individual works and projects or again, completed specifically >for the M.A.D. Media Art Database , are to be open to supplementation with a >series of data which in turn will form a reliable and quotable resource of as >yet impartial meta-data for the compiling of >new summaries, scholarly texts >and critiques. The M.A.D. Media Art Database is designed to be a reliable, >competent and sustainable curator of data on media art thanks to the input of >an international network of researchers, artists and agents in the widest >sense. In the course of establishing the M.A.D. >Media Art Database, a scheme to >bring together the widely dispersed authorities in the field of media art will >set informed priorities in order to optimise what are currently uncoordinated >and therefore painfully uneconomical archiving efforts pursued by institutions >and interest groups working in relative isolation. The aim is to enable the >gradual growth of a more transparent system of >information that does justice in >equal measure to the work of production, distribution and data archiving sites >and of individuals occupied with the creation and scholarly processing of >information on and the theory of media arts. > >BUILDING UP >With the M.A.D. Media Art Database it is hoped to establish an Internet >facility to present media art in as broad and up-to-date a range as possible. >Besides pooling the secondary information of academic, verbal and written as >well as multimedia records relating to the works and projects, to the artists >and their approaches and to the technological >and social relevance of media art >in general, the Database will also show the primary matter, the works of art >themselves. The main aim, however, is to present >as comprehensive a resource of >information as possible on artists and works, institutions and private >collectors along with their respective collecting focus. Permanent updating of >the cross-references links will make it easier to locate specific videotapes >and media installations, performances and Internet projects accurately as well >as facilitating browsing in the course of curatorial and scholarly >cross-referencing work. As another aid in that area, the Database will al > >so tend a permanently updated and expanding index. The structure of the M.A.D. >Media Art Database is geared to enable a network of relevant data on various >servers, thus offering instruments for effective searches, automatic indexing >and arranging elements into groups. > >SYSTEMATICS > >As in any similarly ambitious information >system, the most difficult and at the >same time the most crucial issue of keeping it up to date, of sustaining its >quantitative and qualitative expansion and maintenance, continues to depend on >an at once flexible and well-thought-out workflow and on establishing and >maintaining the community. Only then can the meaningful expansion of the >system be a realistic prospect. Previous experience across the world has shown >that the highly demanding task of keeping a database of this kind current >requires a media-art community that participates >in reviewing and consolidating >the information kept and in its cultivation overall. The M.A.D. Media Art >Database, therefore, is to put structures at the disposal of selected >individuals and working groups to edit or extend the database appropriately. >The choice of these editors is likewise to be generated out of the >(fundamentally open) community, so that an >editorial system both discerning and >varied can develop, its hierarchic structure to be permanently open to change, >its areas of competence to be flexible. Thus artists, authors and institutions >alike will have the opportunity to publicise these areas and so, too, the >M.A.D. Media Art Database, with their works, written matter and offers. In >using such hierarchies and groups, it will be possible to organise the data >and information across different archives and to >arrange them at will according >to the research topic at hand and so on. 1. The scheme provides for several >central administrators who can change everything and incorporate new users at >will - there is to be no central institution nor a permanent up-to-bottom >controlling committee. The editors elected as competent from case to case are >to provide for continual improvements in quality, comparable to some extent to >a Wikipedia system. 2. There are also provisions for administrators for the >various subject areas within the system. They will be able to register new >users only for their group, thus avoiding the development of any dominating >pattern of allocation motivated by the administrators personal research >interests currently a flaw in most comparable information systems. One >subject area can overlap with others, so that a number of part areas may have >access to the artist database. Where possible, it should be open to an >administrator to be responsible for a number of groups. 3. Simple users should >have different rights: a) Read Only b) Creating new sets of data with works of >art c) Editing data sets d) Contributing their >writing on works of art, etc. e) >Combinations of b), c) and d) > >A simple user should be permitted to belong to >several groups; and it should be >possible to have an administrator on call who must approve a data set >contributed by a user, prior to its publication. As there may be several >individuals authorised to make alterations within a subject area, it would be >desirable to have at least a basic record of such changes. A version system >that enabled a reversion of changes made would be ideal. We are also currently >working on mechanisms to come into operation in the event of several users >working on the same item at once (blocking or similar). Such an authentication >and authorisation system will ensure that no >unauthorised users can access data >permanently or temporarily copyrighted or that such data are only accessible >through the local archives against payment. By implementing standardised >protocols and formats, access to the archives will also be possible via the >familiar Internet work stations. In this way it >will be possible to access data >in different archives (information distributed in different systems and at >different physical locations) via the M.A.D. Media Art Database in a >transparent fashion so that every intersection involved or linked in the >archive retains full control of its own data and information. > >QUALITY > >The quality of the M.A.D. Media Art Database is >to be vouchsafed and maintained >not least by minimising editorial provisos in order to maximise the input in >the shared areas of competence. This kind of >first-hand data-gathering can be >expected to call for less effort in settling >questions of copyright than is the >case in comparable projects. The sustained minimising of costs thus effected >and the high speed with which data can be >obtained are among the most important >priorities of the M.A.D. Media Art Database; >they are also the preconditions for >its ultimate aim of sustainability in both the >information and the discourses >it serves. > >SETUP > >The starter module for the M.A.D. Media Art >Database is an archive representing >some 1,100 media installations, augmented initially by some few characteristic >media performances, video tapes and pieces for Internet, and texts on media >art. The great number of artists and works presented, along with the pertinent >descriptions (Summaries), represent great >initial value on two counts, as a >first introduction to the historical and current diversity of media art and as >an apt base for the planned widening and deepening of the extant areas of >information. Access to the majority of the information and data is to be free >and open. However, previous experience has shown that licence considerations, >particularly in relation to video tapes presented in full length, make it >necessary to restrict access to these to a defined circle of users only the >research community, corresponding institutions and private licensees. The >system is to be based on existing Open-Source solutions which will have to be >adapted for the purposes of the project. > >DESIGN > >The general structure of the front end, the design, currently presented in >provisional form, is to be optimised as finances allow, making it a >user-friendly working environment. The emphasis in developing the user >interface will be on making the system as simple and intuitive as possible to >use whether it be by art historians or the interested public, including users >without special technical expertise. During the trial period, the interface >will be tested by students and their feedback taken on board in the design >process in order to ensure that the product accords to the needs of the end >users. > >STRUCTURE > >The information on media art is organised according to the characteristics of >perception of the respective form and the specifics of interaction with >it. >1. The Cinematic (video, film, 3-D-animation, >both analogue and digital) Works >oriented markedly on time/diachronic in >structure. The option of archiving items >as streams in preview (i.e., not the highest) quality is planned. The best >possible quality is to be available via the direct links with the commercial >and non-commercial providers, institutions and via individuals indirectly. >2. Internet Projects Chiefly works existing and functioning only on the >Internet. By way of an initial response to the difficult question of recording >artistic Internet projects, there are to be direct links to the art websites >themselves and to the relevant online archives, presentation and review >platforms. >3. Installation-based work Works of a mainly >spatial/environment/site-specific >aspect media installations, on record in available multimedia material. >4. Text-based items Text by researchers, artists and critics, collectors and >promoters of art; but also original works of media art perceptible exclusively >or chiefly as text. >5. Performative works Performativv based works >like Performance, Action, Media >Theater, Video-Dance, Happening etc.
-- ____________________________________________________________ helen varley jamieson: creative catalyst [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.creative-catalyst.com http://www.avatarbodycollision.org http://www.upstage.org.nz http://www.writerfind.com/hjamieson.htm ____________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Ada_list mailing list [email protected] http://aotearoadigitalarts.org.nz/
