Updated
September 23, 2002
Table of Contents
Rhizome ArtBase Management Policy................................................................................. 1
ARTBASE MISSION............................................................................................................... 4
SCOPE.................................................................................................................................. 4
SELECTION CRITERIA........................................................................................................... 4
SUBMISSION PROCESS........................................................................................................ 4
Initial Submission..................................................................................................... 4
Linked Object vs. Cloned Object.............................................................................. 4
Creating a Linked Object.......................................................................................... 4
Creating a Cloned Object......................................................................................... 4
Approving the Completed Submission..................................................................... 4
COLLECTION CARE............................................................................................................... 4
ACCESS................................................................................................................................ 4
APPENDIX A: INDEXING........................................................................................................ 4
Date Created............................................................................................................ 4
Size.......................................................................................................................... 4
Type......................................................................................................................... 4
Genre....................................................................................................................... 4
Names...................................................................................................................... 4
Titles......................................................................................................................... 4
Dates........................................................................................................................ 4
Technology............................................................................................................... 4
Places....................................................................................................................... 4
Keywords.................................................................................................................. 4
New Keywords.......................................................................................................... 4
Comments................................................................................................................ 4
APPENDIX B: RHIZOME ARTBASE LINKED OBJECT AGREEMENT......................................... 4
APPENDIX C: RHIZOME ARTBASE CLONED OBJECT AGREEMENT........................................ 4
APPENDIX D: ARTIST QUESIONNAIRE.................................................................................. 4
TECHNICAL PROFILE................................................................................................ 4
Technical
Profile—Platforms.................................................................................... 4
Technical
Profile—Browsers.................................................................................... 4
Technical Profile—Bandwidth and Display.............................................................. 4
Technical Profile—Code........................................................................................... 4
Technical Profile—File Formats and Client Side Tech............................................. 4
Technical Profile—Plugins....................................................................................... 4
Technical Profile—User Input................................................................................... 4
Technical Profile—Server-Side Tech and Databases............................................... 4
ARTIST’S INTENT...................................................................................................... 4
Artist's Intent—Documentation.................................................................................. 4
Artist's Intent—Migration........................................................................................... 4
Artist's Intent—Emulation.......................................................................................... 4
Artist's Intent—Reinterpretation................................................................................ 4
Artist's Intent—Priorities........................................................................................... 4
Final Thoughts.......................................................................................................... 4
APPENDIX E: FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL (FTP).................................................................. 4
The
Rhizome ArtBase is an artist-driven, web-based archive of new media art assembled
and maintained by Rhizome.org, a non-profit organization based in New York
City. The goals of the Rhizome ArtBase are
to provide public access and exposure to a comprehensive collection of new
media art, to provide an online platform for new media artists to present their
work within a context of relevant critical discourse and online discussions,
and to preserve their work for the future.
At its inception in 1998, the Rhizome ArtBase was conceived as
an online archive of net art. In January
2002, Rhizome expanded the scope of the ArtBase to other forms of new media art,
such as computer games, software art, and documentation of new media
installations and performances. However, because the ArtBase in a web-based
archive, all works in the ArtBase must be accessible via a Universal Resource
Locator (URL) on the Internet.
The ArtBase
currently contains over 650 art objects. We use the term “art object” to refer
to the collection of stored metadata, such as keywords and technical
information, that relate to a given artwork. Therefore, within the context of
the ArtBase, art objects are not physical objects, but virtual ones. Approximately
10 new objects are added each week.
The Rhizome
ArtBase contains works of new media art that are submitted by members of the
Rhizome community. The idea is not to build a highly selective collection of “great
works” that reflect a particular curatorial perspective or institutional
agenda, but rather to build an inclusive archive of works of potential
historical significance. Determining whether or not a submitted work is new media
art is one of the primary selection criteria that we use to establish a work’s
relevance for the archive. For the purposes of ArtBase selection, we define new
media art as art that uses emerging technologies in significant ways. For
example, a web site that contains a portfolio of charcoal drawings would most
likely not be considered new media art. But a web site that contains images,
diagrams and descriptions of a tele-robotic performance probably would be
considered new media art.
We then evaluate
potential historical significance according to the following criteria:
·
The work's aesthetic innovation, conceptual sophistication
or political impact.
·
The work's relevance to the discourses of new media art and
contemporary art in general.
·
Any discussion of the work itself on Rhizome.org or other
relevant networks or publications.
·
The work's place in the artist or artists' oeuvre.
·
The work's provenance, including commissions, exhibitions
and collections.
These
selection criteria are made available online.
In
2000, we developed an automated ArtBase Submission System that enables artists
to drive the process of submitting their work to the ArtBase. This system has
the important advantage of making the admission process of adding new works to
the ArtBase much more efficient than it previously had been. The system includes
web-based forms, questionnaires, and server-generated emails, and is only
available to Rhizome members and staff.
To
submit a work of art to the ArtBase, a Rhizome member, usually the artist but
occasionally another rights holder, clicks on the “Submit Art Work” link in the
ArtBase section of the Rhizome.org web site (http://rhizome.org/artbase). For
convenience, we will refer to the submitter as the artist. This link leads to an
online form with fields for the title of the work, the work’s URL and a brief
description of the work. The name and email of the artist are automatically
pulled from the member’s profile.
The
ArtBase Coordinator then receives an email notification of the new submission.
This email includes the artist’s name, the title of the work and the work’s
URL. The Coordinator then reviews the artwork by clicking on the submitted link—keeping
the selection criteria in mind—and then accepts or rejects the work by using
the submission system. If rejected, the artist is sent a standardized email
stating that the work does not meet the collection criteria. If the work is
accepted, the artist is sent an email notice that the work has been accepted. This
email contains a customized URL to a page in the submission system where the
artist can continue the submission process (see below).
Once
a work has been accepted, the next step is for the artist to decide whether to
submit the work as a linked object or a cloned object.
Linked
objects consist of metadata only: the artist’s statement and bio, a description
of the artwork, a thumbnail image, keywords and other indexing information, and
a link to the art work (in the form of a URL). Linked objects do not include a
copy of the work itself.
Cloned
objects include an archival copy of the artwork , which is stored on the
Rhizome server. This archival copy, or clone, serves as a backup in case the
original version becomes inaccessible (due, for example, to a hard disk crash).
The cloned version also serves as a snapshot of the artwork as it existed when
submitted. Having such a snapshot may be useful if an artwork evolves over
time.
There
are four steps to creating a linked object:
1. Indexing:
providing indexing information, such as the date, size, and type of artwork
(see Appendix A).
2. Uploading:
providing a bio, statement, and thumbnail image.
3. Reviewing
information: confirming that the information from steps 1 and 2 is correct.
4. Executing Agreement:
completing the process, by executing a “Rhizome ArtBase Linked Object Agreement”
(see Appendix B). This agreement sets out the terms and conditions by which the
artist agrees to allow us to include his artwork in the Rhizome ArtBase as a
linked object. This is the final step for the artist when submitting work as a
linked object.
There
are six steps to creating a cloned object.
The first three steps are identical to the first three steps in creating
a linked object.
1. Indexing:
providing indexing information, such as the date, size, and type of
artwork.
2. Uploading: providing a bio, statement, and thumbnail
image.
3. Reviewing
Information: confirming that the information from steps 1 and 2 is correct.
The
next three steps are different:
4. Artist
Questionnaire: filling out a web-based form specifically related to the artwork’s
technical make-up and the artist’s intentions for the future of the project. Cloned
objects are only accepted when accompanied by a completed Artist Questionnaire
(Appendix D). The Artist Questionnaire
is a standardized method for collecting information and guidance that we may
need in order to take preservation measures (documentation, migration,
emulation or recreation) in the future. There are two main components in this
questionnaire:
Ø
Technical Profile: This section focuses on the cloned
object's technical specifications, for example, the servers, browsers, and
plug-ins the object is optimized for.
Ø
Artist’s Intent: The artist articulates their intentions and
gives permission to Rhizome to take measures to preserve the cloned object.
5. Agreement:
reading and executing the Rhizome ArtBase Cloned Object Agreement (see Appendix
C). This document sets out the terms and conditions by which cloned objects are
contributed to the Rhizome ArtBase.
6. FTP: uploading
a copy of the artwork to the Rhizome FTP server (see Appendix E). The artist
logs in as an anonymous user to a special FTP account at the Rhizome server and
uploads the software.
Once
the artist has completed the submission process for either a cloned or linked
object, the submission system sends an email notice to the ArtBase Coordinator.
In the case of cloned objects, the Director of Technology also gets an email
notice that there is a new cloned object to install.
The
ArtBase Coordinator checks the submitted metadata. If necessary, the Coordinator
may make changes to submitted information or ask the artist for clarification
or additional information. Once the Coordinator is satisfied that the metadata
is accurate and complete, she turns the status of the object to “on” in the
submission system. The art object is now
publicly available in the Rhizome ArtBase and can be viewed online.
Once
an art object is in the ArtBase, it will be stored and maintained for as long
as possible unless the artist asks for the object to be removed or unless a
third party makes a credible claim of right infringement.
One
of the primary challenges in preserving new media art for the future is keeping
the art works running on future systems.
As technologies continue to evolve and change, it is highly likely that
the hardware, software, and application systems in use today will eventually
become obsolete. We anticipate four main
approaches to preserving new media art in the face of eventual technological
obsolescence:
1. Documentation:
Create representations of the work using textual descriptions, still images,
moving images, or audio recordings.
2. Migration: Translate
data written in an obsolete format to a format that is currently supported.
Migration may result in slight changes of the artwork's appearance.
3. Emulation: Use
hardware emulators to run obsolete software on future platforms.
4. Reinterpretation:
Recreate the original project, or certain parts of it, while keeping its
conceptual framework intact. Reinterpretation may be appropriate for projects
that utilize external content or are performative in nature.
All
the data for Rhizome.org, including the Rhizome ArtBase, is currently stored by
Iron Mountain, a records and information management company, in Moonachie, NJ.
<http://www.ironmountain.com>
The
ArtBase is a searchable archive that can be accessed online at
http://rhizome.org/artbase. The ArtBase can also be accessed via the Fresh Art
page on the Art+Text drop down menu or by alphabetical summary views by artist
name by title, also found on the Art+Text drop down menu. Every art object in
the Rhizome ArtBase is indexed with metadata fields that contain information
about the project and the artist. This
metadata enables simple keyword searches, complex structured queries and
alternative interfaces created by artists.
Please provide the following indexing information about your
art object. This information will help people find and access your art object
and enable it to be cross-referenced with other art objects and text objects in
the Rhizome database.
The date created field identifies the date your artwork was
first completed or made available to the public. If you're not sure of the
exact date, please put down year and month. If you're not sure of the exact
month, please put down year. If you're not sure of the year, please make your
best guess. Date must be in YYYY-MM-DD format, where YYYY is year, MM is month
and DD is day. For example, March 27, 1999 would be 1999-03-27.
(Example: 1999-03-27)
The size field contains an estimate of the total storage
space in kilobytes taken up by all of the files that comprise your art object.
(Example: 512)
The type field describes the abstract media type of the art
object. Please select between 1 and 3 types that *best* describe your art
object:
Animation—art work in which motion graphics play a
significant role
Audio—Artwork has strong audio component
Game—art work is a game or involves gaming in significant
ways
Installation—art object documents a physical installation
Performance—art object documents a performative artwork
Software—art work is an executable program or involves
original stand-alone software
Video—art object uses QuickTime, RealVideo, or other
time-based video
Virtual—artwork creates a 3D, immersive or otherwise virtual
world
Visual—Artwork is particularly graphical or especially
visual in nature
Text—art work is ASCII or otherwise text-based
The genre field describes the general category of your art
object defined through style, form, or content. Please select between 2 and 5
genres that *best* describe your art object:
Abstract—art object is visually abstract
Allegory—art object uses allegory or metaphor
Anti-art—art object overtly rejects artistic conventions or
codes
Collaborative—art object was created by more than one person
Collider—art object dynamically combines material from
various sources
Conceptual—art object is driven primarily by ideas
Contextual—art object is site-specific, or requires a
specific situation to function
Database—art object incorporates databases or archives