Be thou still there with me

How can productions that use innovative technologies be preserved in the long term in collections, archives, and museums while remaining accessible to future audiences? Due to their high technical complexity and uncertainties regarding preservation practices, materials used in these productions are often not stored or secured correctly. Furthermore, legal uncertainties frequently complicate matters. And yet, there are an increasing number of artists in the performing arts who use digital media technologies in their work.

This experts' conference identifies challenges in the preservation, cataloging, digitization, and long-term archiving of artistic works that employ digital and multimedia technologies, using hands on the example of choreographer Yui Kawaguchi’s work.

The event primarily targets archivists, developers and conservators working with digital and multimedia artistic works, but is also open to artists interested in the preservation of these technologies.

Detailed programme (preliminary)

17.12.2026

12.00-17.15 Uhr

With Junji Watanabe (Osaka University), Yui Kawaguchi (Choreografin), Matthieu Vlaminck-Maurer (Zentrum für Kunst und Medien/Medienrestaurierung), N.N., Team of the Media Library for Dance and Theatre

12:00-12:15 Intro

12:15-13:15 Opening Dialogue: Junji Watanabe + Yui Kawaguchi

13:15-13:25: Break

13:25-14:25 Experience and Testing: part 1

14:25-14:35: Break

14:35-15:35 Panel: Archiving digital productions (Yui Kawaguchi, MTT, Matthieu Vlaminck-Maurer)

15:35-15:45: Break

15:45-16:45 Experience and Testing: part 2

16:45-17:15 Closing Session

E-Mail till Dec. 1st to: mediathek@iti-germany.de (including short description of interest and background).

This expert conference will be held in English. Limited seats are available.

This experts conference takes place in the frame of the digitisation project „AARDVARK/ Be thou still there with me“ funded by the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion in accordance with its funding guidelines for the digitization of cultural heritage objects in the state of Berlin 2026.