Researching and presenting a history of new media: Ten years of the Banff New Media Institute

Sarah Cook, University of Sunderland, United Kingdom
http://www.banffcentre.ca/bnmi

Session: New Media / Art

New media art (including digital art, net.art, and interactive installations) has had an interesting relationship with major art institutions over the past five years. This paper explores the current state of the challenges and relationships from a perspective of professional curating. It suggests a possible case study for historicizing the practice: The Banff New Media Institute's (BNMI) ten-year contribution to new media culture. The author considers the tools and structures used to produce and document the theory and practice of the BNMI and notes significant issues BNMI summits and exhibitions have addressed: visualizing data, the interface, community, the industry and collaboration.