ISH #2
Monday 06th - Sunday 12th July 2009
Time 22:07 - 22:32
Victor Boullet & Anonymous
The Gagged Archive
— Part l
The Institute of Social Hypocrisy has managed to acquire a selection of slides depicting examples of Norwegian art and culture, from a series entitled ‘Norwegian Art from the Reformation to Today’.
These slides will be exhibited at the ISH in July behind closed doors, with viewers only able to catch a glimpse of them through the windows from the street outside. This severely restricted access to the viewing of these photographs reflects the almost impossibility of viewing these images today even in Norway. These Parisian spectators effectively represent the Norwegian public who no longer have access to this documentation of their own culture.
From the beginning of the 1950’s, at the tax-payers expense, the Norwegian Film Board was responsible for producing a detailed documentation of many aspects of Norwegian and international culture, art and architecture.
The purpose of this program was to allow the public access to images of these artworks, which was achieved by making slide reproductions freely available for purchase. Over its life span of 50 years, there was a large demand for the purchase of these series, which were largely used as teaching tools.
With the increased accessibility of film and information via the internet, the demand for these reproductions waned until their output ceased and eventually the entire original archive was put into cold storage in the bowels of the Norwegian National Library.
The ISH is particularly interested in the fact that this entire catalogue of visuals was funded by public money, meaning, that in reality, it belongs to the general public. Why this material is now inaccessible to the people that own it, and would use it, is open to debate.
Previously, any member of the public could access the information by buying a series’ of slides to own and use freely. Now a limited number can only be loaned from the Norwegian Library for a short period. The cost to the public has risen from €20,00 for a series of 30 slides to €55,00 per slide.
The act of exhibiting this archive to the passing public, even in such a limited capacity, serves as a demonstration against the constraints imposed by the system.
When asked why the original photographs had not been scanned in order to bring the information into the digital age, the response is that they do not have the ‘capacity’ to do this. The hidden message being that they do not prioritise the modernising of the archive.
Government policy and a lack of funding stand in the way of making this publicly owned information available to all.
By burying this catalogue and thus making it inaccessible, the Norwegian government is effectively making copyright pirates of anyone making illicit copies.
The very piracy that the government is fighting, is being encouraged by obliging illegal reproduction of artworks in order to include them in the education system and public talks. The ISH aims to highlight this hypocrisy and to make a stand against the unjustifiable suppression of public information.
Accompanying the images shown at the ISH is a text, written anonymously especially for The Institute of Social Hypocrisy, by a person closely involved with the management of this catalogue and the subsequent production and distribution of the slides. Along with the history of the archive, he highlights the hypocrisy, nepotism and both internal and external politics associated with it.
Click here to read the full story in English, Norwegian or French