“The archival element is present in the Vašulkas’ work from the very beginning. Soon after they emigrated to New York in 1965, they began to collect materials relating to their own work and that recorded the broader context of early video art. The Vašulkas believed that they were participating in a key chapter in the history of media art and that it was their duty — a duty “worthy of our sacrifice” to collect and archive all contextual materials. While Woody stated that he had inherited his archival obsession from his mother Florentyna, who had written up her family history, Steina said that her archival tendencies were related to her Icelandic roots, since Icelanders are considered the guardians of northern European history. Even as a young girl, she would save all programs from local music performances.”