I gave the keynote at the International Digital Media Arts Association last week on the topic of preserving visceral media. Doing so has helped me think through the Pathfinders preservation methodology and the Traversal process. As Stuart and I have stated a Traversal involves audio and video recording of demonstrations performed on historically appropriate platforms. It is the most important components of the Pathfinders approach. Here is the list of components that comprise our methodology:
- A Traversal by the artist
- Traversals by two interactors-users-readers
- Photographs of the material artifact (e.g. floppy disk, CD-ROM)
- Detailed description of the material artifact
- Sound files
- Essays (analysis by editors and others)
- Authors’ bios
- History and provenance of the work (and its impact)
Because visceral media include video games, interactive installations, multimedia performances, and other forms of media that involve interaction, rich sensory media, and embodied action, Pathfinders could be used broadly.