Abstract
THE BLACK KIT has existed since 1981 as an archive for INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE ART growing continuously and systematically. It archives documentations of
a) artists and theorists / groups / networks / organizations / artist-run-spaces / associations / networks – platforms
b) selected national and international projects with communicative structures in the fields of action art, performance art, performing arts, performative and urban interventions.
Black Kit collects and structures information of realized and unrealized projects if they reveal seminal character (drafts, concepts, models, statements and manifestos). The archive considers itself as an organic and ever expanding database. It refers to more than 4000 artists. This is done by means ranging from brief digital notes to loose, searched for and found as well as comprehensive files consisting of letters / e-mails / texts / interviews / statements and manifestos / catalogues / brochures / books / compendia / monographs / press material / magazines / art magazines / artist's writings / flyers / posters / performance remnants and more.
Moreover, the collection is sustained by thousands of photos: prints in b/w, color / b/w negatives / color negatives / slides / digital photos stored on CDs and external hard disks.
Since approx. 1970, it contains existing video recordings in various formats such as Betacam / U-matic / VHS / VHS 8 and different small tapes like Hi8 / Video 8 / Mini-DV / Mini-DVD
Furthermore, publications and essays are collected. The spectrum ranges from art historical, art-sociological and socio-political topics to philosophical and scientific essays as well as critical and spiritual practices and theory.
The greatest asset, however, is undoubtedly the network that the organizers have established systematically on all continents in recent decades. The documentation of the various organizations and networks that are primarily focused on performance art – and this worldwide – is another main concern of the Black Kit.
BLACK KIT IS A SCULPTURE OF PUBLIC INTEREST and contains more than 3500 boxes, folders, containers and crates for documents and performance relics. The stock is stored in 53 shelves with approx. 232 running meters as well as 28 large moving boxes with relics. The image department comprises several thousand slides, negatives, vintages and several hundred hours of film material, some of which have already been historically validated.
The holdings are listed and catalogued in order to digitise and prepare them for a database.