Resurrecting Flash Art
Hands-on workshop hosted via Zoom by the Electronic Literature Lab
with guest speaker: Alan Bigelow
28-29 October 2021; 8:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. PST
For more information, contact Dene Grigar dgrigar[at]wsu[dot]edu
This 2-day, hands-on, workshop provides participants with experience for preserving Flash art using a variety of tools and methods. Participants are encouraged to bring in works of their own to save or choose from among those provided by the workshop organizers. Instruction will be provided over Zoom and Slack, with Basecamp serving as the archival space for docs and files. No previous experience with preservation is needed. At the end of the workshop, participants will have worked alone or in teams to save several works of Flash using Ruffle and Conifer, and they will leave the event with a good idea of other strategies available for saving and documenting Flash art.
Workshop organizers will communicate with participants in advance of the event to set up access to Slack and Basecamp, identify works to be preserved, and prepare access to the site for downloading and uploading files.
Workshop Organizers & Leaders
- Dene Grigar, Director, Electronic Literature Lab; Managing Director and Curator of ELO’s The NEXT
- Richard Snyder, Assistant Director, Electronic Literature Lab
- Holly Slocum, Project Manager and Designer, Electronic Literature Lab
- Greg Philbrook, Technical Specialist, Electronic Literature Lab
- Andrew Thompson, Flash Preservation Specialist, Electronic Literature Lab
- Arlo Ptolemy, Flash Preservation Specialist, Electronic Literature Lab
Special Guest Speaker
Alan Bigelow, Net Artist
“From Flash to HTML5: (Not So) Simple Conversions”
This talk will be open to the general public.
Day 1: Thursday, October 28, 2021
8 a.m.-9:00 a.m. PST: Introduction to the workshop
- Participant introduction
- Rationale
- Methods
- Outcomes
9:00 a.m.-10:15 a.m. PST: Tools & Methods for Preserving Flash Art
- Implementing Ruffle and Conifer for Preserving Flash Art
- Testing Output via the Wayback Machine and Pale Moon
10:15 a.m.-11:45 a.m. PST: Individual & Team Work
Participants will work independently or in teams via Slack and Zoom to preserve Flash art. The workshop organizers will be on hand to demonstrate processes, trouble shoot, and answer questions.
11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Reporting In
Participants will present their work to the group and discuss challenges they may have encountered in preserving the work. The workshop organizers will also prepare participants for Day 2 of the event.
Day 2: Friday, October 29, 2021
8:00 a.m.-8:15 a.m. PST: Welcome and Speaker Introduction
8:15 a.m.-9:30 a.m. PST: Guest Speaker: Alan Bigelow, Net Artist
9:30 a.m.-11:30: Individual & Team Work
Participants will continue their work from the day before via Slack and Zoom to preserve Flash art. The workshop organizers will be on hand to demonstrate processes, trouble shoot, and answer questions.
11:30 a.m.-12 noon: Reporting In
Participants will present their work to the group and discuss challenges they may have encountered in preserving the work. The workshop organizers will provide closing statements and assist participants with organizing for future Flash preservation activities.