Exploring the Outlands: A Case-Study on the Conservation Installation and Artist Interview of David Haines’ and Joyce Hinterding’s Time-Based Art Installation

Abstract

The artwork by David Haines and Joyce Hinterding, The outlands, 2011 is a time-based art installation composed of sculptural, software and gaming technology exhibited in a gallery space. The work was acquired by the Art Gallery of New South Wales after being awarded the 2011 Anne Landa Award Unguided Tours exhibition prize but has not been installed since. As such, any future iterations will be challenging due to its condition, functionality and machine dependency. This paper explores the value of installing Haines’ and Hinterding’s time-based art installation to chart the conservation assessment processes of documentation, functionality testing and the install itself. It discusses how in-situ artist interview affords artistic agency and contributes knowledge on the materials, conceptual and technical elements of the work, functional limitations and its future conservation management. The outcomes of the conservation interactions have allowed for a deeper understanding of conservation as a reiterative process as issues of software and hardware dependencies, and the situated and spatial relationships between various elements became more salient. This has assisted conservators in preparing for object obsolescence and aims to support future re-activations of The outlands, 2011.

Keywords:

• Time-based art
• Contemporary art
• Haines and Hinterding‌
• Iteration report
• Installation
• Software-based art
• Artist interview
• Gaming technologies

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to artists David Haines and Joyce Hinterding for their willingness to engage with the project and their contribution to exploring The outlands and the AGNSW’s conservation, curatorial, registration and installation departments, namely Carolyn Murphy, Justin Paton, Lisa Catt and Mark Taylor for their support of this project. The authors would also like to acknowledge colleagues at the AGNSW, who have supported and contributed to the development and implementation of time-based art conservation and documentation consistently over the last six years.

Author biographies

Asti Sherring is a Paper, Photographs and Time-Based Art Conservator. She has completed a Bachelor of Media Arts from Sydney University and a Masters of Materials Conservation at Melbourne University. Asti held the position of Senior Time-Based Art Conservator at The Art Gallery of New South Wales between 2015 - 2020. She has also worked at institutions including The University of Newcastle, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, USA, The 20th and 21st Biennale of Sydney, The National Archives of Australia and Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. Asti is currently undertaking postgraduate research at the University of Canberra, which explores contemporary conservation theories and practices surrounding the preservation of works that are virtual, ephemeral, immersive, participatory, and technology based.

Mar Cruz is a conservator and graphic designer with experience in art conservation, advertising and design. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Graphic Design, John Brown University and a Masters of Cultural Materials Conservation, University of Melbourne. Mar currently works as a Digital Preservation Technician at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and has worked for a variety of institutions, including the Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation: Conservation Services and International Conservation Services in Melbourne and the Heritage Conservation Centre in Singapore. Prior to conservation, Mar was an art director in various Singaporean advertising agencies and has a decade of design and advertising experience.

Dr Nicole Tse is part of the teaching and research team at Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, University of Melbourne. She has a long-standing interest in cultural materials conservation in tropical climates in the Asia Pacific region with PhD and Post Doctorate work in this area as well as PhD and Masters supervisions. She is the Editor of The AICCM Bulletin and founding member of APTCCARN (Asia Pacific Tropical Climate Art Research Network).

Notes

1 The minor thesis was undertaken by University of Melbourne Masters of Cultural Materials Conservation student, Mar Cruz, under the supervision of AGNSW Senior Time-based Art Conservator, Asti Sherring and Nicole Tse, Senior Lecturer, The Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, University of Melbourne.