A digitized version of “Scream” by Edvard Munch was Thursday deposited in the Arctic World Archive by the National Museum of Norway. The Vatican Library and the National Museum of Brazil were also amongst the participants of an international ceremony aiming at preserving irreplaceable data for future generations.

“The Scream” by Edvard Munch, one of the world’s most iconic paintings, is fragile and vulnerable. It is therefore important for the National Museum to preserve all knowledge about the painting. Future generations will have access to a digitized version of the artwork and related research material as the National Museum today deposited “Scream” in the Arctic World Archive.

To preserve our collection is one of the most important tasks of the National Museum. Piql’s solution for long-term storage of data enables us to keep valuable competence about the collection accessible for future generations

Jahn-Fredrik Sjøvik, IT Director at the National Museum

The Vatican Library was also represented on Svalbard today. They are digitizing their important collection of historical manuscripts. The manuscript of Dante Alighieri’s “La Divina Comedia”, one of the most significant pieces of literature, is now safely stored in the Arctic World Archive. The National Museum of Brazil and Italian Alinari, the world’s oldest company within photography, were also among the cultural institutions that deposited data.

The Arctic World Archive was inaugurated in March 2017 to offer secure long-term storage of irreplaceable digital memories. The archive is managed by Norwegian company Piql, which has developed technology that writes data as QR codes to high-resolution film with a longevity of 500 years. The film can be stored 300 meters inside a nuclear-safe mountain on Svalbard, which is declared a demilitarized zone in an international treaty.

“Located far away from instabilities in the rest of the world, we believe the Arctic World Archive is the safest place on the planet for storing irreplaceable information. We are honored to be trusted with protecting national treasures for various countries”, comments Rune Bjerkestrand, CEO of Piql.