Capturing the Essence of the Image

  • An Existential Problem for Art Institutions
Article

Author

Rory MacDonald,

Editor

PHAIDRA (Permanent Hosting, Archiving and Indexing of Digital Resources and Assets)

Publisher, Location, Date

Universität Wien, Wien, Österreich, 2026

Keywords

Information Systems, Database Systems, Research Policy, Library Science

Text

How can an art university present artworks, creative processes and research through image-led experiences while still meeting the demands of long-term preservation and scholarly citation? Veronika Kocher introduces the University of Applied Arts Vienna’s multi-layered approach to digital research infrastructure. Portfolio provides artists and researchers with a flexible environment for organising and curating their work, Showroom creates a public and visually driven space for presenting art and research, and IMAGE supports art education and image-based research. At the heart of the approach is an architecture that deliberately separates dynamic presentation from permanent preservation. While artists retain control over how their evolving work is displayed, PHAIDRA provides the stable repository layer required for long-term archiving and connection to the wider academic ecosystem. Further integration through the PHAIDRA API is intended to make repository services available exactly where they are needed within artistic workflows. The showcase presents a human-centred, open-source model that does not reduce artistic practice to text, rankings or rigid publication formats. Instead, it brings creative freedom, public visibility and reliable academic preservation together within one connected digital ecosystem.

Language, Format, Material, Edition

English

Activity List

Published By: Veronika Kocher | Universität für Angewandte Kunst Wien | Publication Date: 03 August 2026, 09:03 | Edit Date: 03 August 2026, 09:07