The first challenge is conceptual. What does authenticity mean in relation to digital artwork? Traditionally, archivists preserve “diplomatically authentic documents” (Adam 595). Luciana Duranti defines diplomatically authentic documents as “those which written according to the practice of the time and place indicated in the text and signed with the name(s) of the person(s) competent to create them” (Duranti 17). According to Sharon Adam, archival methods exist to build trust between users and the stewards of archival information; a document is authentic if it passes diplomatic assessment (596). Authentic documents are, in the view of the archivist, what they claim to be: a business record, a deed of gift, etc. In physical archives, integrity is an important issue relating to authenticity. An object has integrity when it remains in its complete, unaltered original form (Adam 596). Adam notes that authenticity and integrity are deeply intertwined in the digital preservation world. By tracing an object’s chain of custody, one can determine if it has been altered, compromising its integrity. If so, the object’s authenticity is also called into question. Applying this framework to digital artwork is challenging, as demonstrated by born-digital art installations such as Ouija 2000.  

The web art installation Ouija 2000 illustrates many of the challenges associated with preserving digital art and its authenticity. In his curatorial statement, Ken Goldberg describes the artwork:

Ouija 2000 is a net art installation, an on-line Ouija board with its planchette mounted on a robotic arm. Participants logging on to the Web site are given instructions for using their computer mouse to interact with other live players. Ouija 2000 is available twenty-four hours a day, and viewers/users come together to "play" with up to twenty others at a time. In contrast to most teleoperation systems where a single user controls a single robot, in Ouija 2000 multiple users come together to collaboratively control a single industrial robot arm. (Ouija 2000)

This installation, coded in Java, is hosted on a Berkeley server as part of the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive Permanent Collection (Ouija 2000). Interaction is a key part of the installation, as users come to the site and manipulate the planchette to simulate “playing” a Ouija board. To preserve it, conservators must ask important questions, such as: What are Ouija 2000’s essential properties? What preservation actions must take place to preserve an authentic version of the game? How will future users interact with the game and perceive its authenticity if the code changes or it moves to a different server?

Another issue is what Michael Seadle calls the “mutability” of digital objects (548). Digital artworks are mediated through technology, composed of computer bits that may display differently based on where and how a user interacts with them (e.g. computers with different hardware, software, monitors, and web browsers). For example, Ouija 2000 users may experience the “game” differently depending on their monitor’s resolution and whether their browser supports the Java code (Ouija 2000 FAQ). Due to digital art’s variable nature, preservationists may struggle to identify what constitutes authenticity and how to measure authenticity over time. This problem is compounded by the connection between digital artwork and its medium. Head to the next section for more on this connection.