Magnetic Media Preservation Services

With our 27-year history in the media arts, Standby is especially sensitive to and aware of the unique qualities of artistic, social issue and experimental work and we recognize the importance of preserving it.  In response to a call from the field voicing the need for an East Coast non-profit preservation facility, we have developed cost effective professional services required to migrate at risk media to current formats. Standby provides collection evaluation, cleaning, migration, digitization, and restoration of a wide variety of video and audiotape formats including: 1/2" open reel (EIAJ and non-EIAJ), 1" SMPTE C, 1" IVC, 3/4" U-matic, 1/2" VHS and S-VHS, and 1/4" audio tape (2 and 4 track).

We've provided preservation services to the following organizations and artists:
ACTUP Oral History Project, Amnesty International, Anthology Film Archives, Appalshop, Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA), Dia Arts, Estate Project for Artists with AIDS, Experimental Television Center, Franklin Furnace, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, The Kitchen, Mix Festival NYC, Museum of Modern Art, New York Public Library, Orphans Symposium, University of Buffalo, Anderson/Gold Films, Helene Aylon, Erika Beckman, Alan Berliner, Ken Brown, Jem Cohen, Nancy Davidson, Henry Hills, Nancy Holt, Ken Jacobs, Beryl Korot, (Estate of) Jackson Mac Low, James Nares, Tony Oursler, Julia Scher, (Estate of) Robert Smithson, Aldo Tambellini, Mierle Ukeles, Edin Velez, Ultra Violet, Nick Zedd.

The Standby Program is actively engaged in advocating for and educating about the fields of magnetic media and time based art preservation. We have worked with many organizations to sponsor events, panels and workshops devoted to understanding the challenges of preserving magnetic materials and installation art. Standby has initiated and documented dialog among those who handle obsolete formats and have trained interns affiliated with the Moving Image Archiving and Preservation program at NYU and the Selznick School of Film Preservation.