Conservation

Unlike other works of media art, installation art is intricate, and its conservation involves the preservation of multiple components. These components are typically comprised of the sound and/or visual media, display equipment, sculptural elements, and any behavior that is linked to the work's interactivity with the observer. The following preservation actions will serve to maintain the functionality of the artwork as closely as possible to what the artist originally intended. Although the conservation of all parts of an installation is essential to preserving a work's integrity, this section will specifically address actions for the preservation of the moving-image component-magnetic tape and born-digital media are addressed separately.

Many installations include motion picture film components. For a guide to conserving film materials, see:

Linda Tadic's Recommended Conservation Practices for Archival Audiovisual Materials Held in General Special Collections (March 2001) (PDF file)

Film Forever: The Home Film Preservation Guide by the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA)