FUTURE PROOF!? Transformation Digital Art 2017

As part of the Future Proof Media Art project, LI-MA organised the international symposium FUTURE PROOF!? on 8–9 February 2017 at the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam. The event brought together artists, researchers, conservators, and cultural professionals to share new insights into the documentation, preservation, and presentation of complex digital artworks.

The symposium introduced the Future Proof research in progress, using Geert Mul’s large-scale retrospective as a practical and conceptual framework. Over two days, participants engaged with keynote talks, artist-led tours, case study presentations, and hands-on workshops.

LI-MA shared its research into sustainable strategies for documenting software-based and interactive artworks, alongside developments in archiving practices for digital art. International speakers contributed perspectives on current tools, methods, and models through a programme of presentations, panels, and discussions.

Programme Highlights

Day 1

• Sessions: Sustainable Digital Art, Research & Development
• Panel: Education and Collaboration – How do we build and maintain expertise in digital art preservation?
• Presentation: What is Future Proof!? by Rachel Somers Miles (LI-MA)
• Artist-led tours of Geert Mul’s retrospective
  

Day 2

• NACCA PhD presentation by Claudia Röck: Preserving Software-Based Art – Case studies: Shan Shui and Horizons
• Lightning talks on documentation models
• Workshops by LI-MA researchers:

• • Documentation for Artists: A practical guide for preserving one’s own digital artwork (Rachel Somers Miles)
  • Best Practices for Collections: Models and strategies for museums and archives (Nina van Doren)

• Additional guided tours by Geert Mul

Workshops: Supporting Artists in Preserving Their Own Work

As part of this research, LI-MA organised two workshops specifically designed for media artists to explore how they can document and preserve their own digital artworks. The series, titled “The What, When, Where and Why of Caring for the Future of Your Own Digital Artwork”, invited participants to reflect on the practical needs and possibilities of self-documentation and long-term care.

The first workshop took place during the Future Proof!? Symposium on 9 February 2017 with 13 participants, and the second was hosted at LI-MA on 18 May 2017, with 10 artists in attendance.

The workshops aimed to translate and adapt LI-MA’s Artwork Documentation Package into a practical and accessible format for individual artists. Based on feedback from participants, LI-MA further refined the artwork script, adjusting its scope and structure to better support sustainable documentation practices for independent creators.

This collaborative process reflects LI-MA’s core methodology: engaging directly with artists and stakeholders to develop practical tools, informed by real-world needs and shared experiences, ultimately strengthening the media art community through open exchange and shared expertise.

LI-MA Director Gaby Wijers presented this DIY approach to artist-led documentation at various seminars and lectures across the Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, and Austria, further extending the reach and impact of this initiative.

Engaging the Public: Raising Awareness for Media Art Preservation

The retrospective exhibition Match Maker – 25 Jaar Media Kunst by Geert Mul at the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam played a central role in engaging a wider public audience. Over 10,000 visitors attended the exhibition inside the museum, with another 20,000 encountering works installed in public spaces around Schiedam. Additionally, 770 students participated in the museum’s educational programme linked to Mul’s work.

To increase awareness of media art preservation among the general public, Geert Mul personally led a series of exhibition tours, which attracted 300 visitors. While these tours helped to contextualise the works, the specific issues of digital preservation did not resonate as strongly with the broader audience, indicating the need for more targeted communication strategies in future outreach.

To reach a wider national audience, Future Proof and the topic of media art conservation were featured on the popular Dutch science programme Kennis van Nu. The episode, titled "De houdbaarheid van hedendaagse kunst" (The sustainability of contemporary art), showcased Geert Mul and the LI-MA team discussing the urgency and complexity of preserving digital art.

Watch the full episode here: Kennis van Nu – De houdbaarheid van hedendaagse kunst

Header image: FUTURE PROOF!? Transformation Digital Art 2017