We live in the age of communication – audiovisual technologies and devices influence us far more than we realize. HISTORIAV aims to preserve and make the rich history and diversity of audiovisual production technologies accessible. By preserving and digitizing media archaeological collections and information about historical devices, techniques and media arrangements, we build a bridge between past, present and future.
A central concern of our association is the creation of a new type of digital platform that presents historical and current forms of audiovisual processes – cameras, sound equipment, analog and digital methods of recording and reproduction – as formative cultural techniques. This platform is intended to provide a publicly accessible collection that is available for research and teaching at universities and other educational institutions as well as for the interested general public.
While painting or writing can be conveyed without technical means, audiovisual productions and film cannot be reproduced without technical means. As a systemic component of the works, they are formative cultural techniques that need to be preserved.
The new Research Hub not only contains thousands of objects from almost all areas of audiovisual communication in a three-dimensional presentation, but also background knowledge, functional demos and oral history films.
The basis is the digitization and research of the associated information and metadata. The project lasts three years and guarantees the preservation of an exceptionally large media archaeology collection as well as the creation of a unique digital research platform.
Demonstration films will be produced for individual key technologies and devices to show how the devices and systems function and work. These films are supplemented with data sheets and publications from the manufacturers.
From the analog to the digital world, there are several fundamental development steps that have led to the current state of technology. Some of the contemporary witnesses and protagonists of these developments are still alive and share their knowledge with us in oral history films.
Historiav is an interdisciplinary group of media professionals, university lecturers, film producers and filmmakers who want to preserve knowledge about the cultural technology of audiovisual production for research, further education and for a wide audience.
Susann Vogel
President
Wantmore GmbH
Prof. Dr. Florian Krautkrämer
Board member
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Design Film Art
Christoph Vogel
Board member
IT and technical consulting
Prof. Dr. Ute Holl
University of Basel
Seminar for Media Studies
Nicole Barras
Managing Director
Swiss Film and Video Syndicate SSFV
Syndicat suisse film et video SSFV
Lic. Phil I Peter Neumann
Author, film historian
Stephan Läuppi
Filmmaker Opendoor Productions
Reini Briegel
Filmmaker University of Zurich
Peter Beck
Initiator
Creative Producer Beck & Friends
Any natural or legal person who supports the purpose of the association can become a member.
Silver member Annual membership fee CHF 100.00
Gold member Annual membership fee CHF 500.00
Platinum member Annual membership fee CHF 1000.00
Project partner
Would you like to help shaping the project and make a personal or significant contribution?
Please get in touch with us.
HISTORIAV
Hermetschloostrasse 77
8048 Zurich
Switzerland
