Evaluation of the documentary Installation Art: Who Cares? as information medium.
In 2011, the film Installation Art: Who Cares? was made in the framework of Access to Contemporary Art Conservation. Access2CA was part of PRACTICs (2009-2011), the two-year European project on the conservation of contemporary art.
Poster for the documentary, Installation Art: Who Cares?
That the museum audience is interested in stories about the making of art is well known, as the number of popular films on 'the artist at work' proves. But are these fans are also interested in the sequel, the restoration and conservation of contemporary installations, which often confront museums with major problems?
The 25-minute documentary film Installation Art: Who Cares? offers a look behind the scenes of European museums. The documentary was created as an educational tool, designed to provide the general public with insight into the problems museum professionals experience in the conservation management and presentation of installation art.
Even in an incomplete state the film provided an excellent opportunity for a series of public meetings on the conservation of contemporary art. The series of screenings took place in museums in Europe and the U.S.; most were aimed at a broad museum public and some were for professionals. To gauge public reaction, a questionnaire was formulated along with two questions to start the discussion. The film was not finished at the time so that the makers could benefit from the valuable comments the screenings produced and incorporate these in the final version.
As part of the research, Access2CA inventoried the collected public comments on the content of the film and used these to evaluate whether the documentary was a suitable medium for conveying this type of information.