The Dynamic Archive
Collaborative work and the sharing, copying and further use of modules developed by other members of a network have become practices in communities in the arts, design and academia in recent years. “Open Source” strategies in software development have served as a model for these efforts. At the same time, issues such as goals and motivations among practitioners, as well as questions concerning authorship, patents and trade secrets concerning know how and processes have arisen.
Our conference “The Dynamic Archive” sets out to discuss and probe these questions as they apply to theatre and performance, media arts and design, as well as to software design.
Artists and designers provide their working methods and processes at the “Dynamic Archive.” We will see and discuss how far the resulting interactions can progress.
The first step of the “Dynamic Archive” as a longer term effort is a conference for cooperation partners and other interested parties to explore the topics and issues raised by our concept with a range of contributions. We want to find out what a “Dynamic Archive” (1) can achieve by fostering collaborative efforts and collecting documentation for artistic work (components such as notations, software, technical specifications, patterns, scores, tools, rules, texts), while at the same time providing these resources to others for their use and further development. How could such a continuously evolving collection look and appear on the internet and in physical space?
In presentations, performances and panels, the conference will present and discuss archival concepts, collaborative groups of artists, web based systems to produce versions and variations in the arts and design, physical material archives and other formats to facilitate exchanges. How can such a process of “dynamic archiving” be launched and kept operational? What kind of role could an art academy, theater or exhibition space take on in such an effort? How could transfers be facilitated that initiate cooperations across and beyond institutions and established connections?
But what kind of dangers and risks can arise from such a process? For instance by anticipating commercial structures that unfold beyond copyrights, licensing and patent disputes, while tending to privilege a focus on growth and profits. How can the “Dynamic Archive” avoid to repeat and reinforce such structures and tendencies? A critical take is needed and the conference wants to create such an approach.
Overall, the conference wants to launch an open exchange and aims to set up the “Dynamic Archive” as a field of experimentation to explore potentials and initiate experiments in performance and media arts, as well as among designers.
The “Dynamic Archive” has been created and organized by Andrea Sick (Professor for Theory in Media and Culture, HfK Bremen ) and Dennis Paul (Professor for Interaction and Spaciality, HfK Bremen)
Hosted by:
University of the Arts Bremen (HfK) in cooperation with:
Schwankhalle Bremen (Artistic Director: Dr. Pirkko Husmann),
Edith-Russ-Haus für Medienkunst Oldenburg (Artistic Director: Edit Molnár & Marcel Schwerin),
Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum, Bremerhaven (Prof. Dr. Sunhild Kleingärtner (executive Director), Prof. Dr. Ruth Schilling (Academic Research and Exhibitions),
Hochschule der Künste Bern (Seminars for Performative Arts and Conservation-Restauration, Dr. Andreas Vogel, Dean at the Department for Arts and Design),
HEC GmbH IT-Engeneering Bremen (Executive Directors Thorsten Haase)
All of the partners of this cooperation have invited presenters to the conference.