Emulation

Emulation, in the field of preserving digital and media art, is the process of reproducing a work's original software and hardware environment on a newer platform so that it can keep functioning despite technological change. Many works of media art, video games, interactive installations, and pieces built on obsolete operating systems or storage media depend on specific, often no longer existing, hardware and software. Emulation creates a virtual model of that outdated environment, allowing the original code to run on modern computers without rewriting the work itself. It is one of the key methods of conservation alongside migration, the transfer to new formats, and documentation. Emulation raises complex questions of authenticity: how faithfully the reproduced experience matches the artist's intention, what counts as the original of an immaterial work, and where the limit of acceptable change lies. Museums and archives develop dedicated strategies and ethical protocols to preserve digital heritage, including Ukrainian digital and media art, for future generations.