Article:

From grain to pixel? Notes on the technical dialectics in the small gauge film archive

Since Fossati’s FROM GRAIN TO PIXEL, we commonly think that the current technological landscape of the archive is ‘in transition’ from the ‘analog’ grain to the ‘digital’ pixel. Although this notion is extremely important in shaping the ‘discourse’ on archival practices, the small gauge film archive is still a place where analog and digital cultural techniques coexist rather than fade out (the analogue) or fade in (the digital). Thus, I will focus here on the possible interactions between these two superimposing material layers (chemical/analog and electronic/digital), drawing on a specific case study: the Ugo Pilato Film Collection, preserved at La Camera Ottica – Film and Video Restoration Lab (University of Udine) in Gorizia (Italy).