404 Object not found_Seoul 2006:
Research Project:
Interview Project
404 Seoul 2006 Interview Project
Interview schedule
2006.9.5_Sangyun Lee, Director of Blindsound www.blindsound.com
2006.9.6_Keumsoo Choi, Director of Neolook www.neolook.com
2006.9.8_Suhjung Huh, Curator of Art Center Nabi www.nabi.or.kr
2006.9.12_Rokjoo Hwang, Curator of Seoul International Media Biennale
www.mediacityseoul.or.kr
2006.9.13_Byunghan Lee, Director of Simspace www.simspace.com
Sup Lee, Director of Art Cunsulting Seoul
2006.9.19_Kyungkou Cho, Artist www.C2K.net
2006.9.20_Soyoung Noh, Director of Art Center Nabi www.nabi.or.kr
2006.9.28_Kyungyun Kim, Curator of National Museum of Contemporary Art
www.moca.go.kr
Sangjin Yoon, Curator of ARKO(Art Council Korea) Art Center art.arko.or.kr
2006.9.29_Jusam Kim, Manager of department of Preservation, Leeum museum www.leeum.org
Questionnaire
1. Are you interested in media art archive and preservation issues?
2. if you are interested, What are your activities regarding media art
archive and preservation?
3. if not, What is the reason?
4. How do you preserve your project?
5. Who is deal with copyright related with preservation?
6. Who is taking care of the presevation of the project?
7. How do you preserve the data which are related your past projects or
works?
8. How should we presesrve current data for next 10 years?
9. How do you make foundation for preservation?
10. Do you think media infrastructure should take responsivility on media
art preservation?
11.Do you think we should have any specilized institution or organization
for the media art preservation?
12. Which organization is appropriate for the media art preservation?
13. What is your suggestion on the media art preservation program?
14. Do you have any standards or criteria regarding preservation?
15. What is possible preservation way for commercial trades?
16. What kind of preservation way for art collection you have in mind?
17. Could you give us some examples regarding media art archive or preservation
project in abroad?
Q1: Are you interested in media art archive and preservation?
We are living in the world of over flowing information. I'm interested in this issue because of the mechanism we are dealing with. But the thing is, it's not just about interest or something. The way of Archiving and preserving these master pieces should be researched and understood very well. If we don't have the system on it, connections and communications might be blocked. We are lack of studying on Media art archive and preservation.
Q2: In Simspace, how do you deal with the archiving and preservation
problem caused by personal reasons?
(Byunghan Lee)Well, Simspace was established in year 2001, and simcasitng.com
has been online since year 2002. However, updating wasn't happened regularly,
and the archive section, ‘meda+art’, stopped because it was
too much jobs for one person. My point is, archiving can't be continued
under like this circumstance. Things should be taken care of.
Q3: How do you deal with your personal difficulties while running
Blind Sound?
(Sangyun Lee)The value of a company is determined not only by its financial status but also by its branding. I'm not sure how long bd.co.kr will be out there. Blindsound.comˇ¦.wellˇ¦ I hope it to be last forever. But I am pretty sure it can't be continued without changes. I am still thinking about the best way to run Blind sound. Like a personal gallery or collection? I don't have the answer yet.
Q4: Are you willing to turn Blind Sound into a public institution
after your death?
(Sangyun Lee)Well, I don't think that would be happened only by my decision. (Some artists would die before me. Do they care? I don't think so) Anyway, I still have time till my last day. If I say “yes” now, it means “““YES” ” to the public. Right? Humˇ¦ˇ¦ I think turning Blind Sound into a public galley or something is the best choice in anyway though.
Q5: What is the solution for archiving and preservation of media
arts?
(Kyungyun Kim)We need to approach to this issue with a new system unlike we used to do for traditional art works, such as paintings or sculptures. Media arts need a new way of archiving and preservation because of specialties. There are limitations if we just collect and preserve them like paintings. Installation or conceptual art works, they are reconstructed and replayed on every new exhibition. We need to make a system to follow how to reconstruct them. Of course, lots of researches are needed.
Q6: Another issue is about copyright stuff. How do you deal
with artists about that?
(Sangjin Yoon)Oh well... I don't really know about copyright things...
It's another problem defiantly...
Q7: Do you prepare for the copyright issue with 500 people homepages?
(Sangjin Yoon)Artists hesitate to putting their works online because of lake understanding on the copyrights. Copyrights stand for protecting their creativities. However, artists see the negative aspects when they open their works. They worry about what if others use their creativities with unpleasant purpose. We need more educations and promotion about copyrights.
Q8: How does Blind Sound deal with copyrights on media arts?
(Sangyun Lee)First, Blind sound is on personal relationship with artists. And no one died yet fortunately. Anyway, if any museums or galleries want to have media art works as their collections, I just introduce each others.
Q9: How does Neolook deal with artists' copyrights?
(Keumsoo Choi)We don't have any copyrights on any art works. Museums
or galleries might have their copyrights on their collections. But we
only have data. On the Neolook site, we state clearly about all the images
will be stored due to their exhibit promotions. That doesn't mean we have
copyrights on their works.
Q10: How does Seoul International Media Biennale deal copyrights
with artists?
(Rokjoo Hwang)We receive sources from artists in advance. It could be
images, sounds, or anything. Whatever received, we use them for promoting
the event. And that is stated on the contract. Other than that, we don't
use them for any other reasons. Artists' copyrights must be protected.
Even though we make extra credits for unexpected situations, we dispose
them right after the end of exhibition.
Q11: How does Simspace deal with artists' copyrights on their
works?
(Byunghan Lee)It should be clear before anything. Art Council Korea uploads
the sources received from artists directly. But we let artists upload
the resources by themselves. At first, for constructing the site systemically,
we uploaded the scanned sources after received. Once the site has been
set up, artists can do by themselves. We only have rights on the frames
and artists have the fundamental rights.
Q12: How does Art Center Nabi deal with artists' copyrights?
(Soyoung Noh)It is different case by case. We are trying to make agreements
with artists first. Actually, only one piece has been soled so far through
Art Center Nabi. Well, even in that case, we opened the mobile gallery
on mobile devices from 2003 to 2004. The issue was about how to divide
profits, not about copyrights.
Q13: In present, a person stores all the data related to the
preservation media arts. What's your opinion on this?
(Sangyun Lee)When I first made BD or Blindsound.com, my subject was
on introducing Korea design art to the world though the internet. Archiving
or preservation art works were not my main concern. IDAF, Seoul Museum
of Art, or Total museum, they are ‘museums’. So I expected
them to preserve and archive works very well. However, I don't see there
is any appropriate system for. Honestly.
Q14: If an individual enterprise proceeds with media art work
preservation, the media art infrastructures might be their personal properties.
For this reason, is that better the public institutions take over the
charge on this?
(Kyungyun Kim)I think it's not really necessary to distinguish which
one goes to the public and which one goes to the private. Rather than
that, it is important to break the boundaries between them.
Q15: What's the responsibility on media art preservation? Who
should be on the charge on this?
(Rokjoo Hwang)It can't be only one person or institution's responsibility.
Instead, all the institutions and organizations should be networking with
each others very well. They should share their interest on media art preservation.
For examples, if they meet once or twice a year for sharing their manuals,
it could be a good chance to give inspirations to each others. They can
show their annual reports, recommend good artists, etc.
Q16: What's the individual and public institutions' role on the
making infrastructures on preservation of media art?
(Soyoung Noh)I think every single institution and organization has its own character depending on its objective. Therefore, it is not the right way to make an agreement for one specific goal. Instead, it is better to leave a room for each one under the huge picture.
Q17: When organizing the infrastructure of media art preservation,
what's a person's role and responsibility, and what's an institution's
one?
(Sangjin Yoon)I don't see any person or institution ‘take a role’
actually. But they know they should take responsibilities because it's
public. In real, there are things should be improved and reformed to drive
a project forward systemically. I feel the necessity even it takes a time.
But still, how to... still searching for the answer.
Q18: Is there any appropriate institution or organization for
the media art preservation?
(Byunghan Lee)The priory institution is museum. It doesn't matter national
or private. Museums have to archive works, so that means they have to
‘buy’ works for that.
Q19: what's the reason of making media art infrastructure for
the individual enterprises?
(Sup Lee)The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is the ideal institution
for that. However, the reason why I try to make the infra with the individual
enterprises is to narrow down the gap between artists and institutions.
In Korea, artists are not really on the planning stage. So, sometimes,
the plans or systems wouldn't fit into artists.
Q20: Is there any more opinion on the preserving works?
(Kyungyun Kim)Actually, there are people who consider the preservation
issue as a follow-up work, after artists. Even so, still artists must
concern about preserving their works. They have to care about viewers.
This perspective might revitalize the production.
Q21: Do you have anything to say in archiving and preservation
media art? Do you have my message to people who are related to the media
art?
(Sup Lee)Well, I would like to say, artist can't ignore connection or
communication. We are sure about communication goes well in a small group
even if we are pushed to the limit. Therefore, it's better to talk in
other's points. Not about yourself.
Q22: Do you have anything to say to people who are related to
the infrastructure of media art?
(Sangyun Lee)Curators, museums, and artists, they should be aware of what they are doing. At least, they should know about the change. I hope curators to be serious on how to handle the change. In Korea, this consideration is still lacking.
from 404 Seoul 2006 Interview Project Theater Version