Preservation Of A Time-Based Media Installation : A Case Study of George Eastman House 1968 and 2008 Exhibitions, Conscience The Ultimate Weapon

In July of 1968, George Eastman House opened Conscience the Ultimate Weapon (Conscience), an innovative audio-visual installation consisting of projected images dissolving from one to the next, accompanied by a synchronized soundtrack. Under the direction of Nathan Lyons, curator at George Eastman House from 1959 to 1969, the exhibition projected 780 photojournalistic images by Benedict J. Fernandez III, depicting protests and public demonstrations that affirmed political dissent throughout the United States during the 1960s. This provocative, political, and ultimately controversial exhibition was firmly grounded in the conflicts of the time. Further, it challenged the exhibition standards of an institution that was known primarily for the promotion of the photograph as fine art and the celebration of the photographic print. In 2008, George Eastman House created an interpretation of this historically important exhibition using modern technology within a contemporary social and political context. Through a case study comparing the 1968 George Eastman House exhibition, Conscience, with the 2008 interpretation of Conscience, this paper will provide an analysis of the preservation issues surrounding these time-based media installations.