As museums increasingly embrace contemporary and digital art, a new frontier in collections management has emerged: Time-Based Media (TBM). These works, encompassing video, sound, performance, software-based art, and other durational formats, challenge traditional notions of permanence, objecthood, and documentation. For museum professionals, this shift demands not only new curatorial approaches but also a rethinking of how collections are catalogued, preserved, and accessed.
Why Time-Based Media Matters Now
The rise of Time-Based Media reflects broader cultural and technological trends. Artists are responding to the digital age with works that are immersive, interactive, and often dependent on specific technologies or environments. Museums and cultural institutions, in turn, are acquiring these works to remain relevant and reflective of contemporary practice.
But TBM is not just a new medium; it’s a new paradigm. Unlike static objects, TBM works are dynamic, often iterative, and deeply contextual. Their meaning can be shaped by playback conditions, audience interaction, or even the obsolescence of the technology they rely on. This makes cataloguing them a complex, multidisciplinary task.
The Cataloguing Challenge: Beyond Object Records
Traditional cataloguing systems were built around physical objects — paintings, sculptures, artifacts — with fixed dimensions and stable materials. TBM defies these conventions. To catalogue TBM effectively, museums must capture:
- Temporal attributes: duration, sequencing, and playback instructions
- Technical metadata: file formats, codecs, hardware dependencies
- Installation parameters: spatial requirements, lighting, sound levels
- Artist intent: conceptual frameworks, acceptable variations, and reinstallation guidelines
- Rights and reproduction: licensing, access restrictions, and digital surrogates
- Preservation history: migrations, emulations, and conservation treatments
This level of detail is essential not only for internal documentation but also for ensuring the long-term viability and interpretability of TBM works. Without it, museums risk losing the essence of the work, or being unable to exhibit it in the future.
“It’s always important to work with the artist, not only to capture intent, but to discuss acceptable formats and the future states the work can inhabit without losing itself.” — Joanne Jones, Account Manager, Gallery Systems
Strategic Implications for Museum Professionals
For registrars, conservators, curators, and digital specialists, TBM introduces new workflows and responsibilities. It requires:
- Cross-departmental collaboration: TBM often involves AV technicians, IT staff, and external consultants alongside traditional collections teams.
- Digital preservation planning: anticipating obsolescence and planning for format migration or emulation.
- Policy development: defining standards for acquisition, documentation, and access.
- Staff training: building internal capacity to manage complex media works.
In short, TBM is not just a cataloguing challenge; it’s an institutional one. Museums must evolve their infrastructure, policies, and skillsets to support these works holistically.
How the TMS Suite Supports Time-Based Media
Gallery Systems’ TMS Suite is designed to meet the evolving needs of museums, including the complexities of Time-Based Media cataloguing. Here’s how:
- Flexible Metadata Structures
TMS Collections allows institutions to define custom fields and controlled vocabularies tailored to TBM. Whether cataloguing a multi-channel video or a generative artwork, users can capture nuanced metadata that reflects the work’s technical and conceptual dimensions. - Integrated Media Management
With TMS Media Studio, museums can link media assets directly to object records, track versions, and manage playback requirements. This ensures that TBM works are not only documented but also accessible and reproducible in line with artist specifications. - Conservation and Technical Documentation
TMS Conservation Studio supports detailed condition reporting and treatment histories, critical for TBM, where preservation often involves migrating formats or replacing obsolete equipment. - Workflow and Collaboration
Time-Based Media often involves curators, conservators, registrars, and AV technicians. The TMS Suite facilitates cross-departmental collaboration through shared records, role-based access, and workflow tools that keep everyone aligned. - Exhibition Planning and Reinstallation
TMS Collections helps document installation requirements, spatial layouts, and AV needs — ensuring that TBM works can be reinstalled faithfully and consistently across venues and timeframes.
Future-Proofing the Ephemeral
As museums continue to collect and exhibit Time-Based Media, the need for thoughtful, future-proof cataloguing will only grow. Institutions must not only document what a work is today, but also anticipate how it might be preserved, interpreted, and experienced tomorrow.
This is not just a technical challenge; it’s a curatorial and ethical one. Museums are stewards of cultural memory, and TBM demands a new kind of stewardship: one that embraces change, complexity, and collaboration.
The TMS Suite empowers museums to meet this challenge by providing the tools to catalogue the ephemeral with precision, clarity, and care.
Interested in how your institution can better manage Time-Based Media?
Explore the capabilities of the TMS Suite or contact our team to learn more.
