the archeology of our digital futures and our past

This morning my curiosity was triggered when I read David Em's email posted to the DASH list for digital/electronic arts histories:

"Christie's is conducting a computer history auction next week. Article
in NY Times and links at
http://www.computerworld.com/news/2005/story/0,11280,99519,00.html
http://www.reuters.com/audi/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=7678651"

When I checked out these references I quickly found Christie's catalog of an auction of what must be one of the most comprehensive collections of literature on all things binary, digital and cybernetic. Certainly all the important names are here, so let me do a little name dropping: Babbage, von Neumann, Turing, Wiener, Eckert and Mauchley, etc. etc. Among the true gems is the premier and personal copy of the play by the Czech writer Karel Čapek R.U.R. which gave the world the newphemism 'Robot'. Estimated price at the auction: a mere 15,000 - 20,000 U.S. dollars !! Since the robots became such an important concept in our culture I'll quote from the catalog, The Origins of Cyberspace: A Library on the History of Computing, Networking & Telecommunications, the description in full length.


ČAPEK, Karel (1890-1938). R.U.R. Rossum's Universal Robots.
Prague: Vydalo Aventinum, 1920.

FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY of Capek's play which introduced the word "robot" to the world; it is derived from the Czech robota, which means "drudgery" or "servitude." The word was coined by Capek's brother Joseph, a novelist and painter (the two Capek brothers were the best-known literary figures in liberated Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1939). Though the word "robot" now connotes a mechanical device capable of performing work on its own, Capek's "robots" were quasi-human figures fashioned from an artificial substitute for protoplasm, and formed in a "stamping mill." Capek's play, which reflected his concerns about advancing technology and automation, was an immediate worldwide success. In the play robots are produced on robot-run assembly lines to do work that humans do not want to do. They remember everything but cannot think of anything new or experience emotion. Frustrated with the limitations designed into them by their human creators, they eventually revolt against the humans, killing all but one. A major reason for the huge success of Capek's play may have been its dramatic exploration of the possibilities of automation technology and the nearly universal fear that machines would replace people, perhaps not in their lives but in their work. Thus the term "robot" came into our language reflecting both the promise and dangers of automation.

The auction takes place on the 23rd of February 2005, 10:00 am at 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York. I wish the library could be kept intact as one single collection but selling the items individually most likely will raise more money. Oh well.

This auction indicates that the fairly recent discoveries, inventions, and creations related to computer technology are starting to be collected and are thus gaining in value. It's easy to predict: The same will happen to aesthetic artifacts generated with digital machines. When and how this will happen is everybody's guess. But hold on to your floppys and print-outs, they may be worth thousands.

Interestingly enough I had encountered related issues, namely the archeology of our digital culture when I saw the blog and web site by the archeologist Michael Shanks who is teaching and researching at Stanford University. His blog carries the nice title traumwerk . Michael is also co-director of the MetaMedia Lab. The sub title of it reads: a collaboratory - a short circuit between the academy, the art studio and information science. These guys really know how to play with words. They also know how to play with our realities, visions, and concepts across all time zones.

What got me thinking was the notion of a history of our digital presence and future being performed at some future date by an archeologist. What are the issues, the tools, and the processes which will be available or which need to be applied to get meaningful insight about us and our special kinds of immaterial (virtual) culture? I am not sure, but I find a number of questions very intriguing which popped up in my mind. Maybe we can share our thoughts on this in the next couple of days and weeks. Meanwhile, I thank Michael Shanks for having brought to my attention novel ways of how to address these vexing issues.