Unstable Signals: The Lost Video History of the DFFB

With: Netzwerk Lost Video History dffb

It’s a risky business, telling stories from the margins while relying on the notoriously unstable video signal; likewise, archiving unstable magnetic tapes nearing the end of their lifespan. Students at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB) produce not only films but also videos, the earliest known of which date back to 1969. In 1980, working with video became part of the mandatory curriculum. Today, most of these videos are no longer available; the tapes have been scattered and are in urgent need of archival rescue. 

In this presentation, we will take a brief look at the DFFB’s history of working with video, its archiving practice and the significant gaps within the archive. We will also ask what is required to preserve and digitize video. And we will discuss what students back then thought about archiving and the institutions that undertake this task. If archiving is about preservation and conservation, how do we archive a medium characterized precisely by its instability and fluidity? A risky business indeed. 

In English