Preserving Interactive Web-Based Artworks

Archiving an interactive web-based artwork means preserving relationships, not merely saving a final screen. Cursors, sounds, timed responses, server replies and chance encounters can be as important as the page a visitor sees.

A durable record needs several layers: the interface, the code and media behind it, evidence of participation, and the conditions that made the work intelligible. Each layer may require a different format, institution or permission.

This is urgent for network-dependent work. A piece that calls a live API, loads proprietary fonts or relies on a hosted model can change after launch even when files remain untouched on a designer’s drive.

A strong archive begins before release, treating preservation as part of artistic and technical production. Documentation, consent, access and succession should be planned alongside the exhibition or publication.

Preserve More Than the Visible Interface

Begin with an interaction map that records every meaningful state: navigation paths, timed events, audio cues, participant roles, error messages and hidden outcomes. Record deliberate variations, such as responsive layouts or randomised sequences, and identify which states are authored and which emerge from use.

Screen recordings and captures provide useful evidence but cannot show every dependency. Preserve representative stills and audiovisual documentation alongside structured records of what a visitor can do, what the system returns and what the artist intended each response to mean.

Capture the System Beneath the Interface

Save the source code, repository history, build instructions, dependency lock files, fonts, models, images, audio and video. Use open or widely documented formats where possible, but retain original masters; transcoded files should be access copies rather than substitutes for preservation assets.

Record every external dependency, including APIs, plug-ins, datasets and paid services. The ITP 30 Show account of a natural language processing project shows how prompts, model behaviour and public responses became part of the work’s meaning. Model versions and service terms must therefore be documented, not assumed to remain stable.

Capture dynamic sessions in standards-based files such as WARC, with checksums for fixity, and preserve the server-side environment in a container or virtual machine. Do not archive live keys; provide a secure way for authorised maintainers to obtain renewed credentials.

Document Decisions, Authorship, and Participation

Create a preservation guide covering installation, exhibition, exhibition dates, technical requirements and troubleshooting. Include a plain-language description, an interaction map, the artist’s statement, accessibility notes and an explanation of how audience input affects the work. Version these documents alongside the code.

Credits are essential evidence rather than decorative information. The ITP 30 Show’s contributor profiles offer a useful model for recording collaborators, disciplines and responsibilities. Participant contributions, consent records and moderation policies should also be preserved, with personal information removed or lawfully protected where appropriate.

Plan for Australian Legal and Cultural Realities

Under the Copyright Act 1968, permission and licence terms determine much of what others may reuse, while moral rights may still matter to artists. Check the work’s contracts rather than assuming that public display permits every download, adaptation or commercial use. Record the rights holder, permitted uses and any attribution requirements.

The Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles may apply when user traces, chat logs, uploaded images or analytics are collected. Capture only what the archival purpose requires, explain collection to participants and separate identifying information from the preserved artwork. Where First Nations communities are involved, follow relevant Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property protocols and consult the appropriate cultural authority.

The Australian collecting landscape includes ACMI in Melbourne, AGNSW in Sydney, QAGOMA in Brisbane and the National Library of Australia in Canberra. Independent galleries, festivals and small game studios also form a significant part of the local creative market. Visitors commonly move between event pages, social platforms and mobile browsers, often using home broadband or NBN; regionally, variable connection quality makes offline fallbacks and downloadable access copies especially valuable.

Build a Practical Preservation Checklist

Before launch, assign responsibility for preservation and identify who may approve technical changes. Keep the archival package separate from promotional exports so that neither serves as an accidental substitute for the other.

• Package the source code, media masters, dependency records, documentation and interaction maps in a clearly labelled preservation directory.
• Document external services, required hardware, browser versions, operating systems and the conditions under which each interaction was tested.
• Generate checksums, validate them regularly and maintain a geographically separate copy against flood, bushfire and hardware-failure risks.
• Publish a human-readable rights statement covering access, attribution, privacy, sensitive material and the process for reporting broken dependencies.

Test the package in a clean environment without the original developer’s accounts or cached data. Record what succeeds, what fails and which components require institutional or specialist assistance.

Begin with a one-page preservation brief that names the artist, developer, host and successor. Assign responsibilities, select a master package and schedule the first review before publication.

Use the ITP 30 Show’s project pages to build a practical checklist, gather the names in its credits and publish a preservation record that can travel with the artwork. Make this part of the launch, so the archive remains useful when the original server disappears.