| CryptArk is the first part of a research and exhibition project by Jarkko Räsänen into the UTV archive, commissioned by Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive, https://digitalfilmarchive.net. CryptArk allows the user to select animals into the digital ark: animals found from UTV's archives will be crypted with one of the four algorithms the artist has created to be transmitted in cyber space for civilizations that are blind to realistic imagery. Algorithms are based on processes of slicing the image file into thin strips and re-organizing them according to simple mathematical rules (and also with a some slightly stranger mutations of that). CryptArk is an interactive audiovisual composition with the artist's own ambient music that turns black & white animal videos (originally in 16mm film) into a metaphysical journey through video files' structures. One can also get a different idea of what a sliced shark looks like. Through the CryptArk, the audience is given an opportunity to try different algorithms on the animals "saved" from the past. The past is conserved through the UTV digitization project in a similar way to Noah who saved animals on his Ark. The research and exhibition project responds to the UTV archive, which is currently digitised by Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive. Ulster Television was the first commercial television operator on the island of Ireland and UTV archive contains footage from the late 1950s until recent years when it was acquired by ITV. In the film reels and tapes, the turbulent past of Northern Ireland is recorded, but also the happier memories that have become part of the shared past. TV once entered people's home and brought there the outside world, informing, entertaining and educating the viewers. Although the broadcasted material was mediated, motivated and at times biased, it provides a good glimpse into the mindsets and interests of the people consuming it. With the project, Räsänen examines the footage with the help of technology, stepping away from the content-focused approach that historians mostly use when researching archives. However, Räsänen is sceptical of any technology, not only the old ones, but the ubiquitous algorithms, artificial intelligence, etc. that are currently considered as superior to any old technologies. His interest in the technologies of different decades makes him curious of the potential of outdated modes and models, such as Teletext, its connection to the TV magazine, and its adaptation into the use for other purposes. Northern Ireland Screen actively seeks to involve artists in engaging with their digital archive and thus seeking new meanings of the material they house in it. These commissions are widely displayed for different audiences, both in Northern Ireland and internationally. Many of the artists previously engaging with the archive have been local, and coming in from a very different cultural background and lived experience makes it possible for Räsänen to view the material from a new point of view, create unnoticed connections and draw unexpected conclusions. The second part of the commission, Past Processed exhibition, takes place at CCA Derry-Londonderry in October-November 2021. http://cca-derry-londonderry.org Curator: Mirjami Schuppert +++++++++ COPYRIGHT INFO: The archive material on this website is © ITV. Permission to use it in this project is courtesy of the UTV Archive Partnership Project (ITV, Northern Ireland Screen and Public Records Office of Northern Ireland). Supported by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland's Archiving Scheme 2 and the Department for Communities NI. Webplayer by Samuli Häkkinen. |
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