New Media Art

Abstract

The final chapter examines how the rapid expansion of technology from the second half of the twentieth century led to the rise of new techniques and categories of art, beginning with the use of film and video, and ending with internet and digital artworks, including those made by artificial intelligence (AI) and robots, interactive virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and works linked to non-fungible tokens (NFTs). However, a major problem is caused by the obsolescence of both hardware and software, meaning much new media art is inherently short-lived, and this, combined with their technical nature, makes their preservation an increasingly specialised field. The second part of this chapter looks at some of the strategies adopted by different organisations with regard to the complex issue of time-based media conservation, and discusses how international collaboration has led to a more unified approach and methodology.