Look Closer

What are internet artworks and how do we care for them?

Explore the challenges faced by a museum when collecting and conserving 'net art'

'Net art' is, as the name suggests, a form of art created to live on the internet. Like other media art, net art works were often created by artists without the need for art institutions. What is the relationship between net art and the museum now? How does a museum approach collecting and caring for internet artworks?

Uncovering the histories of these works is challenging, as technologies become defunct, web domains expire and other records are lost in website upgrades and server migrations. In this short film, we hear from artists, curators and conservators, who explore the lives of these fascinating and challenging artworks.

Support for the creation of this film was provided by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

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