Records for time-based media installations hold a great deal of information which can be difficult to manage.

Below is a guide to the type of material you might find in a record for a time-based media work and a suggested way of organising this information into sections within your file or binder.

Documents for which we have provided templates are linked in the relevant sections.

1. ARTWORK
   • Accession Number
   • Artist
   • Title
   • Medium
   • Description:
   • Dimensions:
   • Duration
   • Image size (max / min)
   • Room size
   
   
   
2. ACQUISITION AND REGISTRATION
   • Incoming receipt
   • Bill of sale
   • Purchase agreement / Deed of Gift
   • In some cases you might have a commissioning agreement or a co-ownership agreement note to introduction to legal docs
   • Curatorial proposal
   • Copy of the Certificate of authenticity or the original
   • Copyright Agreement
   • Acquisition Correspondence
   • Original inventory of media/ display equipment/ sculptural components which are part of the acquisition
   • Cost assessment worksheet
   • Acquisition assessment
   
   
   
3. DEDICATED COMPONENT INFORMATION
   • Media
     • Diagram or List of media components which shows the format, when it was made, what it was made from and what it is used for.
   • Display equipment
     • List of dedicated equipment which came as part of the purchase (say why it is dedicated)
     • Manuals
   • Sculptural components
   
   
   
4. DISPLAY SPECIFICATIONS
   • Installation Specifications
   • Additional floor plans and wiring diagrams etc.
   
   
   
5. DISPLAY HISTORY
   • List of prior displays
   • Information about displays and other editions of the work
   • Photographs relating to prior displays
   • Texts relating to prior displays
   • Display summary, including equipment used, logs of minor incidents reported during display, display maintenance procedures, budgets, installation plans, notes about exhibition formats made for the display, photographs, correspondence.
   • Loan documents (Matters in Media Art 1)
   
   
   
6. ARTIST INFORMATION
   • Artist and gallery contact sheet
   • Correspondence with the artist
   • Artist recommended technical specifications
   • Artist's statement
   • Artist's interview
   
   
   
7. ART HISTORICAL RESEARCH/ CONTEXT
   • Documents relating to the artwork, including other editions
   • Exhibition reviews
   
   
   
8. STRUCTURE AND CONDITION ASSESSMENTS
   • Structure and condition report(s)
   
   
   
9. ONGOING CARE
   • Media migration record
   • Template
   • Conservation treatment reports/ treatment photographs
   • Major damage reports
   • Storage guidelines
   • Disaster plan recommendations
   • Scientific analysis reports
   • Guidelines for packing and transport