[Leica] So much for "film is forever"

[Spencer Cheng]

I agree BUT it’s really hard to forecast what images will be important in 50 years and to whom.

Even though the LUG search engine isn't fixed yet, Google has indexed it for us. Back in 2003, I wrote the following in response to BD in a thread called “Film is Archival”.

<http://leica-users.org/v25/msg00208.html>

After I wrote the above, I was contacted by someone from an NGO working with the indigenous tribes in Borneo trying to establish their historical claim to their tribal land. All they had was an oral history of the tribe. Not acceptable to the modern legal system. I couldn’t help him as the negatives we have weren’t dated though we knew they were taken in the 1940's and 50’s by my father-in-law.

Food for thought on a rainy day. :-)

Spencer

> On May 15, 2015, at 17:06, George Lottermoser <george.imagist at icloud.com> wrote:
> Indeed.
> The big archival question is, "who gives a s**t about this one of 50K or 500K or 5000K image files; in your 3 ring binders, or on your drives or in your cloud, or fire safe, or safe deposit box, or…?"
> 
> Will my "family" care about my "Art"? or just the photos of people they recognize? and happen to still be fond of?
> 
> Go to an antique store. Who are the people in those photographs in box after box? Why didn't their "family" want to keep the images?"
> 
> who ever said the only archives that are going to make it any distance through time are:
> 1) The image maker was quite famous and represented in museums, critical journals, major collections and such.
> 2) The image is of a famous celebrity for good or ill.
> 3) The image is of significant, historical importance and can be recognized as such.
> 4) The collection falls into the hands of someone who "gets it" and can see a way to make a buck.
>