"The author does not only offer an analysis of the installations in the traditional context of conservation of works of art, that is to say in the conditions of observation, measurement and analysis. Rather, it seeks to understand their conception in a regime of cultural, scientific and dynamic relationships. The book takes its originality from the museographic approach, which is broken down into three parts: the first, "Concept and Materiality", where artistic and performative media are mentioned; the second, “Time and Changeability”, which deals with questions of time and conservation; and the third, "Archive and Identity", where the concepts of the material and immaterial archive are advanced, with archival and museographic implications."
“Starting with the wincing crash to the ground of one of Paik’s ‘proto–new media’ works, this book meticulously picks up the pieces, and wrestles the conceptual and the material challenges back into shape. A spirited and useful analysis for ensuring a lively future for media art. Decidedly un-dusty.”—Beryl Graham, Professor of New Media Art, University of Sunderland
“This book makes an invaluable contribution to the field of preservation and media art history by using the works of Nam June Paik—one of the pioneers and most important figures of media art—to philosophically and practically rethink approaches to media art conservation. Hölling reconsiders concepts of the conservation object in light of the emergence of digital media art, which has reframed our understanding of (im)materialities, time, change, and the archive. In highly original ways, the book addresses how transformations of multimedia artworks over time affect their behavior, their presentation and the ways in which audiences engage with them. Hölling brings unique expertise to the subject since she has not only thoroughly researched the history of Paik’s oeuvre but also actively participated in the conservation and curation of his work.”—Christiane Paul, Adjunct Curator of Digital Art/Associate Professor, School of Media Studies, The New School
“Developing strategies to preserve and ensure access to electronically encoded information is one of the major challenges of our era—in art, and in the culture at large. Hanna Hölling’s wide-ranging study is essential reading for its insights regarding the ongoing interpretation and updating necessary to address the impact of technological change on Nam June Paik’s work and for what this process tells us about the inherent fragility of all aspects of the modern archive.”—Martha Buskirk, Professor of Art History and Criticism, Montserrat College of Art
“It is wonderful to see a new generation of media and art historians offering a fresh view on this global artist. Hölling is one of the leading scholars helping us to understand Nam June Paik’s work in the digital age.”—Wulf Herzogenrath, art historian and curator
“Time is slowly erasing the work of entire generations of media artists from our potential art history. The loss is irreparable and urgent action is needed. Fortunately, Hanna Hölling’s excellent research will guide us through this darkness!”—Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, media artist
“The restoration and the conservation of media art is one of the greatest challenges for the future of our culture. Hanna B. Hölling’s compelling book is one of the most important contributions to this subject.”—Peter Weibel, Chairman and CEO ZKM Centre for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, Germany, Professor at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna
