[piano music]
We're here in the Imaging Studios
After installing Nam June Paik's "Untitled"
piano work from 1993, and we're celebrating
the moment of completion of a two-year conservation project
This work is either a conservation nightmare
or a conservation dream that has every problem
it could possibly have for a video sculpture
Some of the elements are either not functioning
or wouldn't be functioning soon in the future
The sculpture consists of an upright piano
modified with a player piano unit
I looked at the piano and realized
the piano itself is in need of repair
They recommended a firm that they authorize
He took one look at it and said
This piano is in terrible shape
The keys are peeling up, the hammers are coming off
there were parts that are worn out
We went through a very detailed condition assessment
some of the hammers and some of the elements
that were wearing away, we did repair and replaced them
15 different television sets melded on top
and on the sides and on the floor next to the piano
We contacted CTL electronics down at Canal Street
The owner, CT Louie, used to work with Nam June Paik
He has a good understanding of what Paik would want
in replacing CRT technologies
One of the things we wanted was
to obtain a complete back up set so we did that
The television sets play four different video feeds
Two of the video feeds come from the security cameras
In addition there's a spotlight
The two other video channels come from laser discs
which are mounted on the floor
and these laser disc players are playing videos
that Nam June Paik made
One of them is a video of his mentor, John Cage,
with images of Merce Cunningham,
and the other is an abstract video of piano keys moving
When we acquired the work,
the two video streams ran on umanick tapes
When it was installed at Moma,
the artist was here and he authorized
my grading to laser disc
We did migrate the laser discs
so we now have them on uncompressed, Quicktime files
In the future, Moma staff is gonna have to make a big decision
Piano is operated by originally a floppy disc drive
Five and a half inch floppy disc drive
We replaced that with an mp3 player
that's mounted in back of that
Paik signed the work on the last two piano keys
He actually signed his name and the date
so that makes it all the more special
The installation took place yesterday
Fortunately, we have really good documentation
Many photographs of the work from its prior installations
detailed step by step instructions on how to install the work
and I'm sure Nam June Paik would be laughing at us
because when he originally installed it,
it was just haphazard, the wires were hanging
on the sides, but we wanted to get them right
Because he was a performing artist,
because he was a fluxus artist, he incorporated chance
What we do now isn't what he would do
if he were alive, and yet we're challenged
We're trying to make decisions that would somehow
be in keeping with his intentions
I was worried that we wouldn't be able to show it in the future
since it's dependent on these technologies that go obsolescent over time
And just seeing it altogether after these two years
of work is really exciting for me
It's just gratifying to see it and to hear it
and to be able to celebrate this moment
[lively piano music]