Rock n’ Roll never dies but art is a fragile thing that must be preserved. So whilst thankfully the music of Måneskin will live on (as vinyls, cds, dvds, YouTube videos…) not all related artwork to these historic moments is necessarily well preserved. Let’s dive into the world of lost art at Eurovision.
Lost Contests
As far as Eurovision is concerned, each contest’s audio is preserved in full. However recordings have been lost over time for many television shows. Even Eurovision has lost the video footage from the 1956 and 1964 contests to time. All hope for these contests is not lost though! Recently Eurovision 2006’s high definition recording was pulled out of the archives though. In many ways there is hope that potentially these contests are still around somewhere waiting to be found. As old contests continue to gather dust, it is nice to think that in the digital age, Eurovision music is still well preserved. The music will remain accessible to future Eurofans.
Other Lost Media
But that’s just the contests. Obviously the physical recordings of the show make up the vast majority of Eurovision content, it is after all the bread and butter of any TV show. However, I like to think of Eurovision as something, that whilst undoubtedly a commercial television project for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), has developed into a cultural phenomenon in its own right. Eurovision is not one Saturday a year (with optional qualifying shows that week! Well, of course it is to an extent but considering the discussion and influence it generates in Europe, alongside its now traditional place in European’s hearts, Eurovision has become more of a calendar event than simply something on the telly.
In amongst all the hubbub of the “tradition” side to Eurovision many countries find distinct ways to celebrate and share art in all forms. From the stage design of the national selection shows; to the non-contest song sung at pre-parties; to the key ring additions added at the allocation draw – all reflect the culture, traditions and ideals of Europeans (and Australians of course) living in a particular time.
But How Much Is Actually Lost?
Some of these mediums of art are of course easier to preserve than others. A simple video or photo can capture many performance artforms very easily. Throw in the quick sharing of social media and these art forms are here to stay! Others though are quickly forgotten about. Some of the most interesting quirky antics of a country’s hosting are often found in physical medium. This seems like the easiest to preserve because unlike data an object can’t just disappear. The problem is its not that simple and often potentially valuable artwork is overlooked. The sad reality of this is unless these objects are documented, people will simply not know they exist. Another potential issue is without documentation certain materials such as paper easily degrades. Other materials may simply end up recycled. How much ends up thrown away is impossible to say for that very reason – it is unrecorded!
Missing Information On Artwork
So why am I mentioning all of this? Well, on browsing through the eurovision.tv website, as one does way too often, I have quite often stumbled across some really interesting allusions to artworks from former contests. However, the ability to actually observe what these artworks are or read about their symbolism/purpose in the contest is often missing. No one likes hitting a dead-end and well, I’m no exception! It’s just always so disappointing to read about a contest you grew up with and not be able to fully understand what those in the know at the time would have understood. Yes, I should have become more passionate about Eurovision earlier but that is beside the point. For me, it is just a real pity that a part of my childhood (which is within the age of the internet) could go missing, never for adult me to ever fully appreciate.
Let’s Start With Something We Do Have To Illustrate My Point
A rare treat for any Eurofan is when the delegations give some unexpected behind the scenes insight. Back in 2015, the Armenian delegation did just that, revealing the concept art behind their staging plans for that contest. Obviously this contest is far from lost and you can view the full final product and some of the rehearsals on YouTube very easily. Despite that though there is an undeniable value into seeing the concept art itself. What was scrapped before on set rehearsals? How was the original artistic vision for the performance presented? What were the main moments the artist wanted to convey? Similarly it also appears to be a hand-drawn piece of art that I simply cannot see the Public Television Company of Armenia necessarily have valued for preservation long-term.
And Now For Something We Don’t
Did you know Eurovision 2010 stars Feminnem had a painting of them made to promote their Eurovision song? Neither did I, until I stumbled across a random old article on the Eurovision.tv website. Personally, whilst I know little about art I would love to have seen what this painting actually looked like. For one, it conveys the branding the group were going for. Personally I’d love to micro-analyse it and compare it with their music video and staging visuals. Unfortunately though, beyond this rather vague description I have no idea what the painting looks like.
Of course, I could e-mail the Croatian ambassador to Norway and ask about the painting but that assumes two things. First of all that the painting even still exists at all and secondly, that it was stored in a known location. It’s frustrating to see that the link to the original gallery page on the Eurovision site is no longer functioning.
Take Home Messages
Eurovision is an annual celebration of our culture and as a part of that it creates many fabulously good (and sometimes bad) pieces of artwork. The deep cultural insight of these pieces is something to be cherished and enjoyed! After all art gives insight into the artist’s outlook on the world at that time. However, art cannot and does not always persist in accessibility and even existence. Enjoy the random, often trivial artworks for Eurovision when you can (even those random host city bid logos that are now emerging) because in five, ten, fifteen years time – they may well be long forgotten.
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