Interdisciplinary Discussions about the Conservation of Software-Based Art.

In 2015/16 Tate organised a series of virtual discussions related to the preservation of softwarebased art as part of Tate’s partnership in PERICLES, a European‐funded project which focuses on the long‐term digital conservation and preservation of digital resources, with particular focus on actively managing change and risk as part of this process. The idea for this series arose from the realisation that managing technical change in software‐based art is not only a common concern for practitioners working in the field but also of interest to the research community. A group of engaged expert practitioners and researchers were invited to consider a set of topics at the core of the conservation of software‐based artworks. Six discussion sessions were organised over a period of one year.

This report summarises the outcomes of these meetings and examines some of the key points.