About the CDMLA Collection
The CDMLA at VIVO Media Arts Centre houses a significant repository of media by artists, activists, and independent producers. Spanning over 50 years of production, its 8000 video titles reflect the history of video art in Canada and abroad, and social and political movements. Media genres include art, documentary, experimental documentary, narrative, synaesthetic, animation, event documentation.
Scope of materials
The collection includes videos (multiple formats), film (16mm, Super 8), audio tapes, books, periodicals, directories, technology manuals, photographs, legacy technology, media artists & activists files, and the operational records and program documentation of the Satellite Video Exchange Society (legal name) since our 1973 incorporation. While the primary focus is on Canadian artists, international artists and organizations are well represented.
You will find contemporary and historical materials produced by and about media artists, artist-run centres, media organizations, ad-hoc cultural and activist groups, cultural organizations, community television, government agencies, and other artistic disciplines.
Subjects
Subjects include Video Art, Media Art, Media Theory, Communications, Media Literacy, Electroacoustic and Sound Art, Feminism, LGBTQ2S+, Indigenous Rights, Labour, Immigration, Performance Art, Dance, Punk, Environmentalism, Poverty, Urban Planning.
Archival Materials and Harm
The records held within the archives were created and received by a range of people and organizations across multiple decades, revealing attitudes, norms, and of those involved. You may encounter outdated or harmful terminology within the records, and other records may depict or reflect harmful perspectives and exclusions.
Please navigate the records with care and reach out for support as needed.
Please share any comments with us through library@vivomediaarts.com as we continue to better identify and describe these materials.
How to access
Online
In-person
Research appointments can be made by contacting us at library@vivomediaarts.com.
Services
Research (remote and in-person assistance)
Remote access to media content
Exhibition support
Media digitization
Rentals and licensing
Contact Us
For all enquiries or to make an in-person appointment:
library@vivomediaarts.com
For information on how to donate your archive:
cdmla@vivomediaarts.com
Want to learn about VIVO’s other programs & services?
VIVO’s mission is to nurture past, present and future media arts discourses and communities through equitable and public access to resources for preservation, production and dissemination. Follow the link to our main site for more information.