Introduction
Art is a unique and plastic phenomenon that always reflects the peculiarities of the epoch, its values, techniques, technologies, and visions. For this reason, it evolves along with humanity to remain capable of inspiring people, helping them to express themselves, and attract others. It also means the endless diversity of artworks and creations the world has at the moment. Additionally, the search for new approaches has not stopped, and artists look for new paths. Under these conditions, the question of storing, organizing, and presenting the endless number of masterpieces, objects of culture, or works becomes topical. The digitalization of the world the humanity witnesses today allows individuals to use technologies to resolve this problem. However, innovative methods of data storing and management provide artists with the chance to establish new forms of art, and digital curation is one of the unique concepts associated with it.
Most spheres of human activity today experience radical alteration under the impact of technology. The scope of changes allows specialists to speak about revolution in terms of approaches, methods, and tools available for individuals to perform different tasks. The sphere of data storing and managing has also experienced fundamental reconsideration under the impact of innovations. Traditional mediums such as libraries, archives, or collections become less relevant because of the emergence of databases allowing to store a limitless amount of information and simplifying access to it (Post 9). The critical importance of this concept is evidenced by the fact that databases are sometimes viewed as a cultural form establishing a specific cultural realm with its unique characteristics. It also results in the emergence of new ways of representing information and its consideration.
Technology
The omnipresent nature of technology in the modern world leads to radical alterations in the human mentality. It means that old visions and values become replaced with new ones, focusing on integrating innovative solutions in life and making them a part of the interaction. Under these conditions, it is possible to speak about establishing a unique metadata society evolving within the highly digitalized network society (Pasquinelli 1). It represents the shift to a larger dimensional scale regarding information and its representation of various forms (Pasquinelli 1). At the same time, the emergence of new concepts demanded the appropriate alteration in all levels of human cognition, meaning that fresh ideas and approaches to working within a new reality were necessary. In such a way, the term digital curation and its etymology are linked to the concept of the database, its management, and the new opportunities it offers to individuals.
Databases
Understanding the word digital is vital for analyzing the concept mentioned above. Initially, it stated for electronic technology generating, storing, and processing data (Paul 1). In such a way, the phenomenon of database and its evolution becomes closely related to digital curation. Today, it is viewed as a specific record-keeping system or an organized collection of data following the tradition of data containers (Paul 1). In other words, it can be viewed as a digitalized form of a book, library, or archive (Paul 1). Every such container forms a unique dataspace, although its characteristics differ from the virtual and dynamic reality (Paul 2). As for the database, it becomes more complicated than these forms as it consists of several layers and has multiple ways to represent information (Paul 2). It introduces the idea of database aesthetics or visual manifestations of algorithms and cultural implications (Paul 2). These qualities create the basis for the emergence of a specific form of art and new visions.
With the evolution of databases and the concept of their aesthetics, digital art becomes more focused on appealing to these unique phenomena. Thus, the tension between hierarchical structures and instructions peculiar to such systems and limitless chances to reconfigure the available information and present it leads to the emergence of infinite interpretations suggested by multiple creators (Paul 2). Artists become creatively engaged with digital and innovative technologies and personal archival materials (Post 4). The question of regular maintenance and preservation after the creation and presentation moves the further evolution of existing approaches and new ones (Post 4). Attempting to circulate artworks and explain their contexts, creators focus on environments different from the traditional museums or galleries, meaning that hybrid spaces or databases become more demanded (Post 4). These processes precondition the emergence and development of the term digital curator.
Curator
The traditional role of the curator has been unchanged for decades. He/she was viewed as a keeper of a museum or other collection responsible for storing available works, their systematization, and presentation (Post 11). For classical museums, curators are central figures who also participate in the lifecycle of art and different objects. They discuss contexts, causes for creating a particular artwork, its peculiarities, and its influence on society (Post 14). However, with the evolution of digital technologies and the high speed of society’s transformation, they had to accept new methods and roles to remain capable of performing their tasks. Moreover, as stated previously, artists started looking for new environments to store and maintain their digitalized work after creation, which also preconditioned a critical alteration in the role of a curator.
Digital Curation
In such a way, the etymology of the term digital curation ascents to the concepts of database, its aesthetics, and the emergence of new forms of art, along with the need to manage them. It can be defined as the management and preservation of available digital information during an extended period of time (Albertson and Johnston). It implies the collection and archiving of digital assets, adding value through research and discussion throughout the lifecycle (Albertson and Johnston). Similar to the traditional way of working with objects and data, the task might be accomplished by librarians, scientists, or archivists, while the difference is the medium and the necessity to work in the digitalized environment (Albertson and Johnston). In such a way, digital curation becomes a fundamental concept necessary for the further rise of modern art because of its focus on innovative forms.
The current state of digital curation cannot be overestimated. In the 21st century, data transformed into a new attractor altering the dynamics of all forms of art (Stalbaum 3). It provided creators with the opportunity to create more complex interpretations, transformative images, and unusual visions (Stalbaum 3). It also resulted in the emergence of the idea of database art which is hard to determine because of the complexity of relations between the artwork and database from one hand and the absence of artists who defined it from another (Stalbaum 3). However, regarding the growing topicality of this issue, digital curation becomes the fundamental aspect of the existing art-ontological system allowing individuals to understand the discourse, trace the evolution of various forms, and providing access to different artworks.
At the same time, the position of a curator, as well as the place of digital curation in the modern world, continues to alter. It is associated with several factors that critically influence the whole sphere. First, databases and art are still evolving as new projects are launched every day and contribute to diversifying the existing environment (Albertson and Johnston). It also presupposes the alteration in the scope of digital curation and how it functions. Second, new media works might employ innovative forms of interacting with metadata and databases, which will also imply the appropriate alterations in the understanding of how digital curation works. Finally, the position of a curator depends on the demands provided by artists, meaning that he/she should be ready to maintain and manage unusual artworks effectively.
Examples
The newest media works help to understand the term and its importance better. For instance, the project by digital artist Beeple can be viewed as a database containing images or videos, sometimes with the attached physical object, which are a form of art (Beeple). Using nonfungible tokens, or digital collectibles, he creates a specific collection of images representing his vision of art and his attempts to express his feelings and emotions. This new media work also demonstrates the idea of digital curation, as it presupposes the need to store artworks created by Beeple, maintain them, and investigate contexts (Beeple). From this perspective, digital curation becomes more topical and relevant as it is a key to understanding the practice, analysis, and preservation.
Another example involving the discussed term is the project #memepropaganda. It is represented as an URL exhibition focusing on the growing role of memes in contemporary society and familiarizing all visitors with them (#memepropaganda). Using database organization, creators examine the influence of these images on society, its evolution, the vision of modern aesthetics, and the way they shape culture (#memepropaganda). At the same time, the project is a good example of digital curation as it can be viewed as a medium containing different pieces of information with various contexts and ideas. Their structuring, analysis, and discussion are necessary for better understanding, which increases the role of the concept and explains its applicability to the case. Digital curation is a key to this incentive’s understanding and enhanced management.
Finally, the Carnivore project can be viewed as another example of how metadata evolves and the role of digital curation. It is described as a specific processing library allowing visitors to perform surveillance on data networks (Carnivore). At the first gaze, it can be viewed as a tool for better data monitoring, diagnosing, and interpreting. However, considering the scope of tasks peculiar to digital curation, Carnivore can also be considered a case involving new types of containers demanding specific approaches to manage data and work with it. Under these conditions, acquiring better control over traffic, it is also possible to become involved in data processing which is vital for new media and its further evolution. Digital curation becomes one of the necessary processes to work with the constantly growing amounts of information and structure it.
Future Perspectives
The three examples show the role of information, databases, and their management in the modern world. Databases allow individuals to select among a limitless number of opportunities to represent already existing information or create new volumes with their own value (Albertson and Johnston). It can be viewed as one of the artforms demanding specific management. The tendency towards further evolution of technologies means that artists will acquire even more complex and innovative methods to boost their creativity. For this reason, it is possible to predict the fast evolution of digital curation and its becoming one of the most effective tools to work with new media and art it might generate. The diversification of tasks will also precondition the appropriate increase in the number of tools available for specialists.
In such a way, digital curation ascends to the ideas of information management and processing. It evolved from the traditional forms, which implied working with physical objects, their preservation, and management, and transformed into one of the critical aspects of modern art (Albertson and Johnston). The evolution of data storing technology also became a vital step towards establishing a new environment characterized by the numerous opportunities for artists and their attempts to represent information in different ways. Database art evolving today demands an appropriate change in how artworks are maintained, stored, and processed. For this reason, digital curation becomes a necessary element of the future rise of innovative forms of creativity, creating the basis for attaining improved outcomes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, digital curation has become one of the ways to store and manage data. However, the scope of the term is much bigger, as, from a particular perspective, it is a method of stimulating the development of new forms of art by investigating and structuring new media works offered by different creators. For this reason, it acquires additional topicality and becomes an integral element of the digitalized society, necessary for an understanding of existing trends, their analysis, and preservation. The future of humanity is closely connected with technologies, meaning that it is impossible to disregard new ways of interacting with information and metadata. For this reason, digital curation will evolve and acquire new features, critical for an enhanced vision of modern ideas and how they influence different communities.
In-Class Presentation
Digital curation is a comparatively new term that is used today when speaking about databases. It is the management and preservation of data over a prolonged period of time. However, regardless of the seeming simplicity of the term, it is a multi-layered concept. It evolves from the idea of traditional curation typical for museums or art galleries. A specialist worked with physical objects to manage, analyze, research, and preserve them. However, word digital means relating to information stored in databases and allowing individuals to use it in multiple ways. For this reason, the term can be associated with new forms of digitalized art emerging today.
Such examples as Carnivore, Beeple, and #memepropaganda demonstrate the role digital curation plays in the contemporary digitalized environment. These projects offer a set of images or data portions that can be processed to acquire additional meanings and understandings. Applying the concept of digital curation, it is possible to analyze all concepts and ideas, structure them, and provide relevant conclusions. Under these conditions, it becomes one of the major analysis tools of the modern age, allowing people to focus on new forms of art, cultivate them, preserve innovative works, and create the basis for future advances.
Works Cited
Albertson, Dan, and Melissa P. Johnston. “Modelling Users’ Perceptions of Video Information Seeking, Learning through Added Value and Use of Curated Digital Collections.” Journal of Information Science, 2020, Web.
Beeple. Web.
Carnivore. Web.
#memepropaganda. Clusterduck, Web.
Pasquinelli, Matteo. “Metadata Society.” Posthuman Glossary, edited by Rosi Braidotti and Maria Hlavajova, Bloomsburry, 2018, pp. 1-5.
Paul, Christiane. “The Database as System and Cultural Form: Anatomies of Cultural Narratives.”Intelligent Agent, 2006, pp. 1-6, Web.
Post, Colin. Networked Alternatives: Digital Curation and Artistic Production on Artist-run Platforms. Dissertation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School, 2020.
Stalbaum, Brett. “After Land Art: Database and the Locative Turn.”Intelligent Agent, 2005, pp. 1-8, Web.