Povzetek raziskovalnega projekta / Research project summary

Namen projekta je bil sistematično postaviti slovenske temelje za ohranjanje kulturne dediščine, ki je povezana z globalno informatizacijo današnjih družb in njihovih podsistemov. Izhodiščna hipoteza, da je novomedijska umetnost bogat vir za razumevanje epohalnih sprememb današnjega časa in za odzivanje nanje, se je izkazala za verjetno – npr. pilotska reaktivacija in rekonstrukcija spletne umetniške prostorske postavitve Nacija – Kultura (Vuk Ćosić, GPT-2 model: Marko Plahuta) je prerasla v ključno nacionalno referenčno točko za razpravljanje o generativni umetni inteligenci v medijih. Prav tako po dvajsetih letih je bilo ponovno mogoče izkušati umetno inteligenco, ki je prepoznavala in primerjala hojo oseb z namenom krepitve medosebnih odnosov (Srečo Dragan: Matrica koincidenca zmenkarski klub). Raziskava se je ob samem začetku razširila z dodatnim partnerjem, državnim muzejem MG+MSUM, kjer je začel delovati Laboratorij za nove medije. Cilji projekta so se s tem razširili na poskus vzpostavitve nacionalne platforme za ohranjanje dediščine digitalne dobe, tako v muzeju, kot npr. prek delovne skupine za digitalizacijo kulturne dediščine, ki jo je ustanovilo kulturno ministrstvo.

Doseg projekta je bil znaten, saj se je potrdila izhodiščna ugotovitev, da razumevanje pomena digitalne kulturne dediščine še ni široko uveljavljeno. Iniciativa je trčila ob močne pritiske politike. Hkrati je treba ugotoviti, da je bil interdisciplinarni pristop – kljub znanim nevarnostim potencialnih nesporazumov med disciplinami – pravilen in konstruktiven, projekt je vključil tako primerjalno umetnostno vedo kot filozofijo, pa tudi pravo in informatiko, ne nazadnje je prostor v projektu dobilo tudi umetniško raziskovanje, v vlogi predmeta raziskovanja ter prek premisleka o njegovi uporabi v raziskovalnih pristopih.

Projekt je posvetil veliko pozornost ravnanju s podatki ter rezultati raziskovalne dejavnosti. V samem izhodišču je bil poskus aktivne vključitve izvorno digitalne kulturne dediščine v današnji čas upoštevajoč načela FAIR (ki poudarja dostop in strojno obdelavo zbranih podatkov in informacij), CARE (ki poudarja stališča in potrebe skupnosti, s katero so informacije in podatki povezani) ter TRUST (v tej skupnosti mora biti zasnovana metoda trajnostne hrambe in obdelave zbranih informacij). Na področju kulturne dediščine – pa tudi humanistike v znanosti – je poskus čim večje odprtosti dostopa lahko zelo zapleten, npr. zaradi avtorskih pravic ter prekernega statusa dejavnosti, ki so povezane z umetnostjo. Projekt je kot temeljni raziskovalni projekt podal predlog odgovora na vprašanje humanistike v dobi inforgov, npr. hibridnih sistemov sestavljenih iz več agentov, pa tudi pregled institucionalnih možnosti za podporo ohranjanju novomedijske kulturne dediščine, kar je podlaga za bodoče spremembe kulturne in izobraževalne politike ter prioritet znanstvenoraziskovalnega in strokovnega dela.

Temeljni raziskovalni projekt Trajnostna digitalna hramba slovenske novomedijske umetnosti je posebnost, saj se dotika osnovnih vprašanj znanstvenoraziskovalnega dela ter njegovih povezav z drugimi človeškimi dejavnostmi skozi prizmo zgodovine novomedijske umetnosti. Interdisciplinarni pristop je posledica uvida, da je potrebno v temelju premisliti obstoječe raziskovalne pristope. Smo v trenutku prehajanja v model odprte znanosti, to pa poleg dialoga med znanostmi in vedami vključuje tudi ponovno določitev meja med raziskovanjem in diskurzi v družbi na splošno in med oblikami vednosti različnih skupnosti. Področje kulturne dediščine je poseben problem v kontekstu odprte znanosti in kulture odprtega dostopa. Projekt je potekal v trenutku, ko so se začeli uporabljati veliki jezikovni modeli za vsakdanje delo mnogih, računalnik je »spregovoril« v naravnih jezikih … tudi pilotne študije trajnostne hrambe novomedijske umetnosti so se zaradi osredotočenja projekta na teoretsko najzanimivejše novomedijske umetnine, ukvarjale prav s takimi vprašanji in pravzaprav z enakimi postopki obdelave podatkov v umetnosti. V projektu smo raziskali povezave med ekstremoma nalog praktičnega ohranjanja izvorno digitalne umetnosti in kulturne dediščine ter samo teoretsko določitvijo, kaj naj bi novomedijska entiteta sploh bila. Dvojnost prakse in temeljne teorije ni preprosta, saj jo prečijo raziskovalna področja, kot so pravo, računalništvo in informatika, zgodovine umetnosti, filozofija. Svet si je mogoče predstavljati kot ogromen računalniški disk – materialen zapis informacij – ki se obdeluje strojno in prek mišljenja (kot »iztrošeni um« C. S. Peircea, The Architecture of Theories). Po drugi strani je potrebno ovrednotiti vrednost informacij, ki nas obdajajo, etika takega okolja iz informacij se osredotoča na informacijske organizme, inforge, in njihova dejanja-sporočila (L. Floridi, The Ethics of Information). Raziskovalke in raziskovalci so pokazali na številne možne pristope do tovrstnih problematik, kar je bil tudi naš namen. Teoretski okviri so podlaga za modele, ki služijo konkretnim namenom – osmislitev prihaja v pogojih ozaveščenega odločanja o učinkih modela, ozaveščenost delovanja v digitalni dobi pa lahko temelji na poznavanju zgodovine digitalizacije. Projekt je prek dveh pilotnih študij pokazal na moč uvida, ki nastane ob natančnem branju zgodovine novomedijske umetnosti – tj. obravnavanju posameznih del –, saj so avtentični in konkretni odgovori na procese globalne digitalizacije. Niso samo tipalo, signal za globalne informacijsko-komunikacijske procese in njihovo kartiranje oz. interpretacijo, ampak so tudi odgovori na dileme našega časa, ki pa jih je kot take treba tudi prepoznati.

Projekt Trajnostna digitalna hramba slovenske novomedijske umetnosti je skušal zasnovati infrastrukturo za dostop do zgodovine novomedijske umetnosti pri nas. Gre za vejo umetnosti, ki je s pionirji in mednarodno uveljavljeni umetniki glede na velikost Slovenije nesorazmerno dobro razvita. Hkrati je dostop do starejših in tudi novejših del oviran, in sicer tako zaradi tehničnih zahtev, ob hitro zastarelih tehničnih rešitvah, kot zaradi zapoznelega odziva zgodovinopisja in humanistike, pa tudi institucij za ohranjanje spomina, kot so muzeji, na digitalizacijo komunikacije in obdelave podatkov na tako rekoč vseh področjih. Projekt je vzpodbudil razpravo o tej problematiki, ki je doživela različne reakcije tako pri raziskovalcih in strokovnih delavcih, kot v javnosti in politiki, posebej kulturni. Namen projekta je bil – poleg širšega osveščanja nestrokovnih javnosti o pomenu zgodovine novomedijske umetnosti – tudi začrtati smernice za obravnavo izvorno digitalnih kulturnih artefaktov. Pomembno je, da na Slovenskem raziskovalne podatke s tega področja uskladimo z mednarodno uveljavljenimi standardi, da bodo naši podatki vključeni v mednarodne projekte s tega področja. Projektna skupina se je povezala z mednarodno Mrežo arhivov novomedijske umetnosti, kar daje vidnost raziskavam in temu področju na Slovenskem. Hkrati je pomembno, da je projekt zasnoval strategijo ravnanja s podatki, ki omogoča premišljeno upravljanje z dostopom ter zagotavlja okvir za ustrezno ravnanje s podatki (po načelih FAIR: najdljivi, dosegljivi, interoperabilni, uporabljivi; načelih CARE: dobrobit skupnosti, upravljanje, odgovornost, etika; ter načelih TRUST: preglednost, odgovornost, osredotočenost na uporabnico, trajnostnost, tehnična infrastruktura).

The goal of the project was to systematically lay the foundations for the preservation of Slovenian cultural heritage, which is linked to the global informatisation of today's societies. The initial hypothesis that new media art is a rich source for understanding and responding to the epochal changes of today's time has proven to be plausible: the pilot reactivation and reconstruction of the online art-installation Nation – Culture (Vuk Ćosić, GPT-2 model: Marko Plahuta) has grown into a key national reference for discussing generative artificial intelligence in the media. Also, after twenty years, it was once again possible to experience AI that recognized and compared the modes of walking of people with the aim of strengthening interpersonal relationships (Srečo Dragan: Matrix Coincidence Dating Club). The research was expanded at the very beginning with an additional partner, the state museum MG+MSUM, where the New Media Lab was established. The project's goals have thereby expanded into an attempt to establish a national platform for preserving digital heritage, both in the museum and, for example, through the working group for the digitization of cultural heritage established by the Ministry of Culture.

The project's reach was significant, as it confirmed the initial finding that the understanding of the importance of digital cultural heritage is not yet widely established. The initiative came up against strong resistance from politics. At the same time, it must be noted that the interdisciplinary approach–despite the well-known dangers of potential mutual misunderstandings–was correct and constructive, the project included both comparative art studies and philosophy, as well as law and computer science, and last but not least, artistic research was also given space in the project, as an object of research and through consideration of its use in research approaches.

The starting point was the open science model, an attempt to actively integrate born-digital cultural heritage into the present day, taking into account the principles of FAIR (access and machine-actionable data and information), CARE (the views and needs of the community to which the data are related) and TRUST (the sustainable storage and curation of information). In the field of cultural heritage–as well as the humanities–the attempt to maximize openness of access can be very complicated, e.g. due to copyright and the precarious status of stakeholders related to art. As a fundamental research project, the project proposed an answer to the question of the humanities in the age of inforgs, e.g. hybrid multi-user systems, as well as an overview of institutional options for supporting the preservation of new media cultural heritage, which is the basis for future changes in cultural and educational policy and priorities of scientific research and professional work.

The fundamental research project Sustainable Digital Preservation of the Slovenian New Media Art is a speciality, as it touches on the fundamental questions of scientific research work and its connections with other human activities through the prism of the history of new media art. The interdisciplinary approach is the result of the insight that it is necessary to fundamentally rethink existing research approaches. We are at a moment of transition to the model of open science, and this, in addition to the dialogue between sciences and disciplines, also includes redefining the boundaries between research and discourses in society in general and between forms of knowledge of different communities. The field of cultural heritage is a special problem in the context of open science and open-access culture. The project took place at a time when large language models began to be used for the everyday work of many, the computer “spoke” in natural languages ... pilot studies of sustainable preservation of new media art also dealt with such questions and, in fact, with the same data processing procedures in art, due to the project's focus on the most theoretically interesting new media works of art. In the project, we explored the connections between the extremes of the tasks of practical preservation of originally digital art and cultural heritage and the theoretical determination of how a new media entity should be construed. The duality of practice and fundamental theory is not simple, as it is crossed by research fields such as law, computer science and informatics, art history, and philosophy. The world can be imagined as an enormous computer disk–a material record of information–that is processed mechanically and through thought (like the “effete mind” of C. S. Peirce, The Architecture of Theories). On the other hand, it is necessary to evaluate the value of the information that surrounds us; the ethics of such an information environment focuses on information organisms, inforgs, and their actions-messages (L. Floridi, The Ethics of Information). Researchers have pointed to numerous possible approaches to such issues, which was also our intention. Theoretical frameworks are the basis for models that serve specific purposes–the design comes under conditions of informed decision-making about the effects of the model, and awareness of action in the digital age can be based on knowledge of the history of digitalization. Through two pilot studies, the project has shown the power of insight that arises from a careful reading of the history of new media art–by examining individual works–as they are authentic and concrete responses to the processes of global digitalization. They are not only a sensor, a signal for global information and communication processes and their mapping or interpretation, but they are also answers to the dilemmas of our time, and they must also be recognized as such.

The project Sustainable Digital Preservation of the Slovenian New Media Art attempted to design an infrastructure for access to the history of new media art in our country. It is a branch of art that is disproportionately well developed, with pioneers and internationally recognized artists, given the size of Slovenia. At the same time, access to older (as well as newer) works is hindered, both due to technical requirements with rapidly outdated technical solutions and due to the delayed response of historiography and humanities, as well as memory institutions, such as museums, to the contemporary digitalization of communication and data processing in virtually all areas. The project stimulated a discussion on this issue, which experienced various reactions from researchers and professionals, as well as the public and politics, especially in the domain of culture. The purpose of the project was–in addition to making the non-professional public more aware of the importance of the history of new media art–to also outline guidelines for dealing with originally digital cultural artifacts. It is important that in Slovenia we harmonize research data in this field with internationally established standards so that our data will be included in international projects in this field. The project team has made connections with the international New Media Art Archives Network, which gives visibility to research and this field of art production in Slovenia. At the same time, it is important that the project has designed a data management strategy that enables thoughtful access management and provides a framework for appropriate data management (according to the FAIR principles: findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable, the CARE principles: community benefit, authority to control, responsibility, ethics, and the TRUST principles: transparency, responsibility, user focus, sustainability, technology).

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