Panel Statement 

Panel: Electronic Space and Public Space: Museums, Galleries and Digital Media

Annick Bureaud e spoke in relation to a consultancy she has recently completed for the French Ministry of Culture about the future for museums and their object-based structures, their architecture, the intellectual patterns of the staff. She raised the issue of ‘cultural worth’ in relation to the space available for creation, the narrativisation effect of art historical traditions. The novelty of technology in some contexts, for instance science museums, avoided content problems associated with time-based media. Artists’ fees and commissions in this area needed urgent attention. Curatorial practices of themes and surveys needed to give account to the flexibility of forms that electronic media produced, which In itself raised problems of conservation for museum culture. Flexibility was the key for the future, along the lanes of theatre possibly: Ars Electronica Centre may become a model.

• Annick Bureaud, France, is the President of Art Science Technology Network Inc (ASTN) which publishes Fine Art Forum. She is the editor of the International Directory of Electronic Arts (IDEA) published by CHAOS.