Radical transparency in caring for computer-generated works: From best to adapted practices

In 2020, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam embarked on the first time-based media collection survey to identify and assess works at high, medium and low preservation risk. Computer-based works were associated with the first category due to the lack of protocols for acquisition, documentation and short- and long-term preservation. Between 2020 and 2024, as new acquisitions reliant on software and computer components made their way into the collection, a more proactive approach and in-depth investigation into this subcollection’s works was deemed necessary. This paper highlights the steps that the time-based media conservation team undertook in order to foster a research team and the initiative to tackle this vulnerable collection. Using notions of radical transparency and self-reflexivity, the study ultimately brings to the fore the slower, more intuitive and more collaborative approach to learning about and caring for these works.