Transformation Digital Art, International Symposium, March 20 & 21 2025 at LI-MA Amsterdam

Transformation Digital Art 2025 is LI-MA's ninth annual international symposium on the preservation of digital art. This year, hosted over two days at LI-MA’s homebase in Amsterdam, the event will bring together artists, scholars, institutions, and students to engage with the complexities of conserving artworks with inherently digital, performative, and processual qualities.

Key topics will include the challenges of caring for live artworks; the intersections of coding, performance, and robotics; and the shifting practices of documentation, conservation, and exhibition. The programme will also dive into the interplay between physical and conceptual elements of media art and the radical potential of performance to reshape preservation method

Programme highlights

We are excited to unveil the first details of this year’s symposium, thrilled to share the first details of this year’s symposium, showcasing an inspiring lineup of experts at the forefront of art, technology, and preservation. This is just the first of more announcements, with even more names and programme details coming soon. Across the symposium, interactive sessions and hands-on workshops will empower participants to engage in dialogue and collaboration around the preservation of ever-evolving digital art practices.

Louise Lawson (Head of Conservation, TATE), will share her thoughts on dance, media art and performance in the museum, its circular potential and "the Living Process of Conserving". Researcher and collection care professional Aga Wielocha will discuss her approach to preserving both material and immaterial artworks, focusing on strategies for activation and knowledge transfer. Naoto Hieda, PhD candidate and artist, will explore the intersection of coding, performance, and archiving, using the lens of neuroqueerness and live coding. Artist Esther Polak and programmer Bente van Bourgondiën will discuss the preservation challenges of early GPS art projects like AmsterdamREALTIME (2002), which revolutionised locative media. Kaat Somers (researcher, FOMU), will discuss and explore the possibilities to map an artwork and archive via WIKI.

Dragan Espenschied (Preservation Director, Rhizome, New York) will give a lecture on framing performance. A panel featuring Paulien ‘t Hoen (Coordinator, SBMK, practical philosopher), Gaby Wijers (Director, LI-MA), Claudia Röck (time-based media conservator), and artist/researcher Dusan Barok will discuss the question of how to transmit one’s legacy and gain knowledge. Furthermore, a panel discussion on the artistic and documentation possibilities of AI for media art and performance, featuring Gabriella Giannachi, Steve Benford (Director, Somabotics project) and the artist duo Lancel/Maat, will explore the transformative potential of AI and robotics in art-making and documentation.

Participants will have the opportunity to take part in a workshop exploring the future of artworks made with Amiga computers with Olivia Brum (Junior Conservator, LI-MA) and colleagues from ZKM. They will also take part in an active discussion on restaging Constantina Zavitsanos' Entrophy, addressing questions of digital accessibility in performance practices and the representation of bodies in both physical and online spaces.