Talk with with Eloi Contesse, curator of the special collections of the Centre d’iconographie de la Bibliothèque de Genève (in French)

‘We need to talk…’ is a new series of public talk proposed by the Centre de la photographie Genève, addressed primarily to artists, photographers and students in these disciplines. Professionals from different fields related to art and photography are invited to share their expertise and professional experience, and to discuss the specificities of their practice. With these talks, the Centre de la photographie Genève intends to demystify certain professions, encourage good practices, and support artists and photographers in important processes related to their profession, which remain largely unaddressed in schools. The first cycle of ‘We need to talk…’ discusses issues related to the art market and its actors, the conservation of digital archives, as well as the preparation of applications and fundraising.

During this second talk, Eloi Contesse will talk about the new challenges linked to the preservation of digital archives of artists and photographers, based in particular on his recent experience in preserving the digital archives of Jean Revillard. Among the issues addressed during this meeting: what are institutions' challenges in relation to these new formats, which add to the complexity of the conservation of historical photographic material? How do museums and libraries work with these new formats, to preserve them and make them accessible? How can artists and photographers today realistically ensure the conservation of their works and archives, both during their careers and in the perspective of their eventual preservation in collections?

Image: Jean Revillard, Nord de la France, cabane de migrant, 07.02.2008. Photography conserved by Bibliothèque de Genève