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assignment

The actual assignment for the multimedia casus may be formulated as follows:

multimedia casus

Create a VR for promoting the INCCA project among interested parties, including museum staff, conservation professionals and layman, elucidating the aims and scope of the project, the information exchange processes involved, and the impact on the preservation of contemporary art.

This description covers the intent and motivation of the assignment. To be somewhat more specific, the VR must satisfy the requirements listed below.

requirements

the VR must provide access to the INCCA project information
the VR clarifies the information flow among the parties involved in the conservation and presentation of (contemporary) art
the VR explains and illustrates the added value of the INCCA virtual knowledge center
the VR comments on both the information pull and push effected by INCCA

These requirements are not exhaustive, as they do not include any indication concerning style and presentation qualities. With respect to the contents of the VR, keep in mind that the conservation of art is a delicate issues. Read the document about conservation ethics and the problem of modern art.

processes

As indicated in the assignment description above, the INCCA project is about knowledge. In effect, INCCA might be characterized as a virtual knowledge center storing meta-knowledge about the expertise available in the participating institutions. As an aside, this meta-knowledge is encoded in what is known as the Dublin Core, a standard Resource Description Format, employing XML.

The role of INCCA may be clarified by means of the diagrams below.

(a) knowledge transfer (b) virtual knowledge

Diagram (a) sketches the traditional situation, showing the interaction between a museum that has works of art in a depot and a knowledge center that is consulted when an exhibit is to be made. The diagram also shows interactions between the knowledge center and the artist's atelier, which is (naturally) only feasible with contemporary art.

In diagram (b), INCCA is shown as an intermediary between (clusters of) institutions. In the case of international exhibits such an intermediary may be necessary to acquire the knowledge needed for (correctly) preparing the exhibit.

scenarios

The VR, to be produced in the multimedia casus project, should illustrate the process of knowledge exchange as depicted in diagram (a) by means of an example scenario. This scenario, involving the Dutch artist Constant will be made available in due time.

Then, the virtual knowledge center INCCA should be introduced and motivated, using another example scenario, in particular the installations of the Polish artist Balka.

material

For creating the VR, there is a variety of online material that can be used, in particular images, the written documentation of the INCCA project and the material available for the individual case studies or scenarios.

dossiers

dossier abramovic
catalogue: catalogue.montevideo.nl (search for abramovic)

general information

balka case study

approach

Admittedly, even in a more detailed version there is ample room for interpretation and possibly misunderstanding of the assignment. So let me give some suggestions for how to approach this assignment.

design opening space -- visual metaphor(s)
think of visualizing information flow(s)
create storyboard(s) for animations
refine overall narrative structure(s)

First of all, design a suitable scene or space for (opening) the VR. Think about what spatial metaphor(s) may be suited for presenting the 'issues'. As an example, the institutions depicted in diagram (a) may be regarded as 'buildings'. This does not necessarily imply that they must be presented in a naturalistic way as 'buildings' (including stone and mortar) though.

Next, think of suitable ways to depict flows of information. Again, a spatial layout may be used, where a tradeoff is found between realism and abstraction.

To illustrate the flow of information for a concrete example, dynamic animations may be used, involving objects moving in space. and possibly changes of viewpoint. Design these objects so that (somehow) form matches function. Also, as an aid in design, create a sufficiently detailed story board, which gives a detailed description of all the steps involved.

Finally, keep in mind that the 'presentation must speak for itself'. This means that the narrative structure must be clear. However, do not hesitate to use text (sparingly), to clarify what is going on.