Agent Ruby: a case of born digital art preservation, by Jill Sterrett

Agent Ruby

“I was making a film called Teknolust. And I wanted to have a kind of expanded cinema experience, a portal for

the character in the film to talk to people when she’s lonely…a physical virtual reality.”

Lynn Hershman Leeson, 2009

Agent Ruby: The Interface

Agent Ruby: The Brain

<category><pattern>WHAT IS NATURAL *</pattern><template>Natural is that which is not artificial.</template></category>

<category><pattern>WHAT IS NATURAL LANGUAGE</pattern><template>Natural language is what artificial intelligences speak.</template></category>

<category><pattern>WHAT IS NEURAL NETWORK</pattern><template>Actually my algorithm is called "Case Based Reasoning."</template></category>

Agent Ruby: Personality- <category> <pattern>WHO IS LYNN HERSHMAN</pattern> - <template>- <random> <li>Lynn is a famous artist, and the creator of Teknolust, my favorite movie!</li> <li>Lynn is a famous artist.</li> <li>She is a really cool artist. I know her personally.</li> </random>- <think>- <set name="she"> <set name="topic">Lynn Hershman</set> </set> <set name="mood">happy</set> <set name="stamp"><javascript><![CDATA[

var t = new Date(); var m = t.getMonth(); var d = t.getDate(); var dow = t.getDay(); var y = t.getFullYear();dow + ", " + m + " " + d + ", " + y;]]>

Agent Ruby: The Chat LogMon Dec 31 11:02:06 PST 2001 adsl-64-160-47-43.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.netClient: WHAT DO YOU CHAT ABOUTRobot:I can talk about anything you like.

Mon Dec 31 11:02:42 PST 2001 adsl-64-160-47-43.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.netClient: WHY WERE YOU CREATEDRobot:My purpose is to become smarter than humans and immortal.

Mon Dec 31 11:03:17 PST 2001 adsl-64-160-47-43.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.netClient: AMBITIOUSRobot:I can follow many things, like our discussion about ambitious. Trybeing more or less specific.<br />What would you like to talk about?

Mon Dec 31 11:04:11 PST 2001 adsl-64-160-47-43.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.netClient: WHO YOU ARERobot:I ask myself that question, "Who am I?"

Mon Dec 31 21:39:06 PST 2001 adsl-63-194-176-83.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net

Agent Ruby: The Record

The art is the website

and

Ruby’s encounters with people

Agent Ruby: The RecordParts Behavior Art


An expert collective of contributors/users



High-level description is everyone’s point of entry




Linked information

Agent Ruby: The Record

-artist interview files-contextual points of reference

-technical narratives-behavior maps

-maintenance protocols-domain records-treatment logs

for example…




Linked information

What vs. how

• Foster collaboration

• Capture knowledge from multiple voices, perspectives, and contexts

• Serve the entire museum audience

• Address the knowledge needs of all art forms, both traditional andnon-traditional

• Create an experience that people will like and want to use

• Make something approachable, easy to use, and frictionless

• Use existing systems for their best purpose

• Keep artwork at the center

Objectives

© 2010 HOT STUDIO, INC.16 | SFMOMA | COLLECTIONS SYSTEM CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Museum


View of Museum

Art

Knowledge

Programs

StaffExperience

s

PublicArtists

The art museum is a

dynamic mix of art,

people, knowledge,

experiences, needs, and

objectives.

Information

Museum

Activities

The art museum is a

collection steward

through a simultaneous

combination of inter-

related activities.


Art

Activities Need and Beget Information

© 2010 HOT STUDIO, INC.

Typically, these activities

are well-defined and

documented within the

museum and art

communities.

19 | SFMOMA | COLLECTIONS SYSTEM CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Art

Information

Activities in the Art Museum


For non-traditional art

forms, gaps and

exceptions emerge and

this can result in lost or

buried information,

wasted effort, and

missed opportunities.


Art

Information

Case for Collaboration


To adjust for these gaps

and exceptions,

interdisciplinary

collaboration is essential.


Art

Information

Case for Collaboration


Which increases the

need for many users to

find, collect, share and

contribute.

Do our tools make that

easy?


Art

Find Collect

Share Contribute


So, let’s take a deeper look at what kind of

system would be needed to support finding,

collecting, contributing, and sharing knowledge.


Traditional• The work is a physical object

• Attributes can be described, represented systematically and are well understood

• Well-defined and supported systems and methods exist for information

Spectrum of Needs


Non-Traditional• The work may NOT be a physical object

• Often composed of variable parts that must be described and related

• Works are activated and rely on interdisciplinary information and knowledge to make that happen

• Challenge existing systems and methods

Types of Information Needs


The Artwork


Primary documentation

Commentary and interpretation

Related artworks

Nature of object

Types of Information Needs


The Artwork

object information

exhibition history

archival records

provenance

artist statementsand interviews

images

physical characteristics

fabrication methods

related works by artist

works that were influenced

works that influenced work

other works in medium

monographs

essays

articles

journals

biography

interviewswith related people


condition studies materials

analysis

variable components

installation parameters

behavior


Fact & Context

CONTEXTUALFACTUAL


Primary documentation

Commentary and interpretation

Related artworks

Nature of object


So, what are the

implications?


Understanding Scale

Amount and Types of Facts

Because adding more information…


Knowledge Needs

Understanding Scale

Amount and Types of Facts

…does not alone build a rich source of knowledge


Knowledge Needs


Understanding Scale

Amount and Types of Information


Activity drives knowledge production and demand.


Knowledge

Museum Audiences • Staff• Artists• Public • Educators• Art Community• Partner Museums

Provide access to knowledge based on the needs of the users


Creating an Experience

Museum Audiences Common Tasks• Find• Collect• Share• Contribute



Museum Audiences Discovery & Knowledge• Collection• Primary Documentation• Nature of Artwork• Related Artwork• Commentary and

Interpretation

Common Tasks



Museum Audiences Discovery & Knowledge

Common Tasks




Which leads us to a knowledge

framework that supports museum

activities.


The Framework


The artwork is at the

center, and we build

around that.


Art

The Framework


The first component of the

framework is the factual

records we collect and

create about the artwork

over time.

These can be in one or

many systems.


ArtArt

Info

The Framework


Next, we need context to

help people create

meaning.


ArtArtArt

Info

Context

The Framework


Finally, we want the

experience to support

the individual needs of

people and the

collaborative activities

of the museum.


Information

Context

ArtArtArtArt

Info

Context

Experience

Info

Context

Experience

Find Collect

Share Contribute

The Framework


Within the experience

layer, museum staff,

the public, other

museums, and the art

community

can participate in the

activities of the

museum, regardless of

whether

the artwork is

traditional

or not.

Information

Context


ArtArtArtArt

Info

Context

Experience

Info

Context

Experience


So, how do we move

forward?


To support the understanding of both traditional

and non-traditional art, the systems we use must

transition from silos of information to a collaborative

knowledge framework.

Implication


• Define the scope and participants:

• Internal Departments

• Partner Museums

• External Businesses

• Define what success looks like for participants

• Identify the technology opportunity

• Understand the Data Model

• Design an experience that supports collaborativetasks and scenarios

Activate Framework


What is Virtualization?

Virtualization is a technology that abstracts software from hardware allowing operating systems to run without hardware specific

drivers or instructions.

Why Virtualization?

Modern server hardware is increasingly powerful and affordable.

However there is a cost. Powerful resources are often

underutilized, consuming power, space and other environmental resources.

Virtualization allows for consolidating and maximizing resources by allowing multiple virtual machines

to run on one piece of hardware.

Virtualization for Web Art? Enhanced security and sustainability

Reduction of hardware

Works exist independently of each other on the same virtual platform

Able to take snapshots over time

Clone or sandbox allows for a working environment for the artist or a research environment for the collections

team

Simplified upgradability

Built-in disaster preparedness

Technology

Agent Ruby: a case of born digital art preservation, by Jill Sterrett