Paula Fernández Valdés is a researcher and conservator specialising in the archiving and preservation of media art, based in Spain. Working with the Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute (IPCE) and as an independent researcher, her practice focuses on how digital artworks can be sustained over time through collaborative, trust-based infrastructures. In 2024, she was a FormARTE fellow at Museo Reina Sofía, where she worked on the preservation of the museum’s audiovisual collections, and she also conducted part of her PhD research at LI-MA.

In the interview, Valdés reflects on the complex challenges of preserving media art in an era of rapid technological change. She discusses how institutions can care for artworks that depend on evolving software, hardware and digital environments, and why long-term preservation must be built on collaboration between artists, conservators, researchers and cultural institutions.

What’s sparking your curiosity in media art right now, and what journey might your talk take us on?

I am a very curious person, and media art is such a challenging universe that my interests keep switching by the hour! But right now, I would say I am starting to become more conscious about the different connections that surround the artworks with communities, the diverse ways these artworks interact with them, and how we can document those relationships that are fundamental for conservation. 

Our talk will focus on the awareness of these relationships, or the lack thereof, and the role of stakeholders in the specific context of Spain.

Why are trust-based infrastructures essential right now, particularly in a field shaped by technological precarity and platform dependency?

Trust and collaboration are the two concepts at the base of our media art community. The artworks that we care for, and some of the tools that we use, are only a small part of the technological system that surround us, and sometimes it can feel as though it is inevitable to be swept by the flow of changes and commercial interests. Therefore, trust-based infrastructures and community-developed tools feel to me like an anchor from which our work can be sustained. 

From your perspective, what role does LI-MA play in the long-term preservation of digital art in the Netherlands and internationally – and why do you think this kind of infrastructure matters at this moment?

I've known LI-MA as long as I've known media art; for me, they are inseparable. When I was only a student, LI-MA was one of the institutional models that my mentors kept mentioning, and I think it is undeniable that they have contributed so much to the way we understand media art preservation. 

During my PhD, I was also fortunate to experience LI-MA from the inside, and I feel like when you are a part of their work, you develop a sense of purpose. The team does so many things in terms of technical preservation, artists care, community collaboration, knowledge dissemination, and it is a place that is always open for anybody interested or trying to find their way through media art preservation. This kind, open infrastructure is very inspirational to me, and I am sure to many others as well.

Without giving too much away, what’s one question or idea you hope continues to resonate after your talk?

It is never too late – nor too early – to advocate for each other.

Header: Topla Madrid, 2025. Photo by Irene Ferrer Mendieta, courtesy of Paula Fernández Valdés.