Every day, millions of people across the globe post information on the Internet, but is anyone keeping track? Is history being made in this tidal wave of information, and is it worth preserving? Yes, says a group of Internet archivists who will be celebrated in a new exhibit at Loyola Marymount University’s Laband Art Gallery.
Nearly three-dozen ceramic statues of archivists dedicated to preserving the history of the Internet will fill the Laband Gallery at an upcoming exhibition where fine art and technology will intersect.
“From Clay to the Cloud: The Internet Archive and Our Digital Legacy,” opens at 2 p.m. Jan. 23 with an artist’s talk and reception. The exhibit continues through March 20.
The art exhibition explores the human impetus to preserve our knowledge, memory and cultural heritage through past and present archival practices, including the work of the Internet Archive, a San Francisco-based nonprofit creating a digital repository of information from the Internet and other sources. The group uses web crawlers to retrieve and preserve online content, and offers free public access to its growing collections.
Ancient clay cuneiforms will be on view at the Laband as well as ceramic portraits by the Irish-born artist Nuala Creed, who has created representations of more than 100 individuals working with the Archive. “From Clay to the Cloud” will feature 32 of Creed’s works, which are meant to remind visitors of the crucial role of humans in the nonprofit group’s efforts to store vast amounts of information for generations to come.
The sculptures on display will be accompanied by video interviews with some of these Internet historians. In addition, the exhibition will feature a 36-foot-long wall of screens that will shine a light on various aspects of the Internet Archive’s work, a listening station for music from the nonprofit’s collection, as well as a gaming station where visitors can play archived video games.
During the artist’s talk on Jan. 23, visitors will hear from Creed as well as Internet Archive Founder Brewster Kahle.
The Laband Art Gallery has partnered with LMU’s William H. Hannon Library to offer several free exhibition-related programs in the coming weeks, including a do-it-yourself archiving workshop, and discussions about data collection and privacy in the digital age, and video game development.
For the full schedule of these events and more information about “From Clay to the Cloud,” call 310.338.2880 or click here.
The gallery is open from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
