Projection to pixel: the art of digital translations of 35MM slideshows in cultural institutions

Abstract

This research paper and associated website address the growing practice of digitization in cultural institutions. Digitization provides greater access to the objects and associated research of collections; however, digitization is a subjective process and should be understood as a cultural as well as technical practice. Current digital reproductions and documentation do not do justice to time-based artworks. 35mm slideshows, in particular, are misrepresented by their digital records and, due to their imminent material and technical obsolescence, are inaccessible unless on display. This thesis responds to the pressing question: How can institutions, primarily art galleries and museums, create digital translations of slideshows produced as artworks that maintain the integrity of the original format, both contextually and materially? It seeks to find a way to create a robust digital translation of 35mm slideshows that provides a better sense of their materiality, presentation, and context.

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