With presentations by Dieter Daniels (de), Thomas Munz (de), Rudolf Frieling (de/us), Susanne Jaschko (de)

Moderated by Baruch Gottlieb (ca/de)

In computer jargon, to "unarchive" something is to de-compress data, such as from a zip file or on a backup drive. The archive in this form is an unaccessible, incompatible being. It is inherently in need of unpacking. Join us in this session in an attempt to dig into the 25-year old transmediale archive and unpack some of its impenetrable secrets.

Initially, transmediale Advisory Board member Dieter Daniels will place the history of the festival within the context of the emergence and subsequent institutionalisation of media arts festivals in Germany and abroad. Baruch Gottlieb will then talk about his work with the transmediale archive as such, explaining how it is being digitised, disseminated online and given a presence in the current festival programme. A more curatorial perspective on past festivals will be given by Thomas Munz, former transmediale film and video curator, who will focus on unpacking works shown at transmediale from the late 1990s onwards. Finally, two special guests from different formative and transitional eras in the festival history: curators Rudolf Frieling and Susanne Jaschko who have been asked to each "unarchive" an item from the transmediale history.

(Image: Baruch Gottlieb / tm archiv)