CD-ROM archiving workflows for sustaining artworks on CD-Rom

June 13 2016Gaby Wijers, Alexandre Michaan, Nina van Doren

CD-ROM archiving workflows for sustaining artworks on CD-Rom

Intro / the project

Introduction / The aimCD-ROM archiving

> More visibility and sustainability of digital artworks on CD-ROM

> Increasing the level of knowledge by assessing existing emulation protocols

> Cooperation and coordination between museums, libraries, archives and science in the field of digital preservation

Introduction / The aim

CD-ROM archiving

> to examine the development of standards in the internationalresearch field of emulation strategies

> to examine the potential of pre-existing tools such as Emulation as a Service

> to improve access to LIMA's CD-ROM collection

> to provide a general use-case step-by-step procedure for emulation,storage and access

> to join existing facilities.

Specificities of artworks on CD-ROM carrier

CD-ROM archiving

> Interactivity and browsing conditions

> Aesthetic elements typical from the early 1990’s to early 2000s period

Global situation of increasing obsolescence

2012-2016

2006-2009

CD-ROM archiving

> Artworks impossible to access or experience nowadays

CD-ROM archivingFirst view on the CD-ROM collection> Sorting artworks depending on level of interactivity

Defining the specific needs for emulation, depending on the works and collection : what has to be emulated ?

The CD-ROM produced at the LIMA art lab

The Second, 1997 (Virtual exhibition) Person to Person, 1998, by Stansfield/Hooykaas

First view on the CD-ROM collection

CD-ROM archiving

Capture, archival, and digital storage of CD-ROMs as virtual disc images

digital repository

CD-ROM archiving

Capture, archival, and digital storage of CD-ROMs as virtual disc images> Physical medium needs to be protected, stored and handled as few as possible once tested, captured and documented

> Existing as virtual images allows to set up a procedure of digital storage and regular migration and backup such as the ones in use for digital artworks such as digital video files

CD-ROM archiving

Testing of original CD-ROMs on matching display equipment

CD-ROM archiving

Testing of original CD-ROMs on matching display equipment

Importance of keeping track of initial viewing/browsing conditions before presenting emulated versions

Non-optical mouse Block-keys large keyboard CRT screen

CD-ROM archiving

Setting up an emulation procedure

> Why emulation and not virtualisation ?

> A focus on old mac computers emulation :

Sheepshaver Basilisk II

CD-ROM archiving

Online emulation versus self-contained emulators for institutions> The testing of EaaS for LIMA CD-ROM examples

CD-ROM archiving

Online emulation versus self-contained emulators for institutions

Creating and presetting a self-contained and ready-for-exhibition emulated version of a CD-ROM artwork :

+ instruction file

CD-ROM archiving

Keeping the control on emulation

IMPROVING RELIABILITY

CD-ROM archiving

> Controlling the visual results by case-by-case browsing tests and comparison with original equipment

Sustaining emulators, long term risk anticipation

> Emulating obsolete emulators strategy

CD-ROM archiving

Openings

CD-ROM archiving

> How to preserve emulators themselves from obsolescence ?

> How to define the conservation needs and documentation needs of a CD-ROM artwork, or in general of a digital artwork ? How to define levels of interactivity and reliability of behaviour ?

> How to deal with presentation in regard with original equipment ?

To be discussed further in the workshop

June 13 2016Gaby Wijers, Alexandre Michaan, Nina van Doren