We look forward to DIGHT-Net’s next workshop “Archives & the Archivist as Narrative Agent?” which will take place between 16-17 January 2025 at the University of Amsterdam. The workshop is dedicated to mapping research connections and fostering knowledge exchange on theoretical approaches and research methods in digital heritage and archival studies.

Questioning archives and the archivist as a narrative agent, this workshop examines heritage collections as narrative constructions and emphasise semiotic, visual and multi-sensory approaches to archiving and archival research. We will analyse how museums and cultural heritage institutions have redefined their practices and interpretive frameworks. Special attention will be given to the incorporation of archival methodologies (including digital and non-digital) and the impact on how collections are curated, contextualised, and made accessible to diverse audiences in the digital age. At stake is the intersection between curatorial intent, public engagement, and the evolving epistemologies within the field of digital heritage studies. During the workshop participants will engage in both practical and theoretical lectures, including interactive site visits within Amsterdam’s vibrant cultural heritage landscape.

Workshop agenda:

16 January 2025
University of Amsterdam
University Library UB, Potgieterzaal
Address: Singel 425, 1012WP Amsterdam

10.00: Welcome by Ihab Saloul (UvA)
10.10-10.30: Cindy Zalm & Bob Ketting (Deshima Experience, Wereldmuseum): Deshima Experience: 3D Representation in the Wereldmuseum
10.30-10.50: Discussion led by Emanuela Varga (UvA)
10.50-11.00: Break
11.00-11.30: Christian Olesen (UvA): Sensory Interfaces for Audiovisual Collections
11.30-11.45: Discussion led by Mario Panico (UvA)
11.45-13.30: Lunch
14.00-17.00: Visit: Stadsarchief (City Archive) hosted by Merel Geerlings
18.30: Dinner at Café ‘t Gasthuys (Grimburgwal 7)

January 17 2025
University of Amsterdam
BG2, Room 0.08
Address: Turfdraagsterpad 15-17, 1012XT Amsterdam

10.30-11.00: Julia Noordegraaf and Anna Schjøtt Hansen (UvA): Digitised Media Archives on Display: Towards a Dialogical Engagement with Audiovisual Heritage
11.00-11.30: Discussion led by Marek Tamm (TLU)
11.30-11.40: Break
11.40-11.55: Emanuela Varga (UvA): Rhizomes and Multicursal Mazes: Fostering Engagement with Digital Cultural Heritage Collections
11.55-12.10: Wiebe Reints (NIOD): The Problems and Possibilities of Digital ‘Colonial Collections’
12.10-12.25: Discussion led by Madeleine Bingham (UvA)
12.25-12.45: Charles Jeurgens (UvA): Unsilencing Colonial Archives with AI: Opportunities and Challenges
12.45-13.00: Discussion led by Mila Oiva (UTU)
13.00-14.30: Lunch
14.30-14.50: Bidisha Chaudhuri (UvA): Ordinary Ethics of Digital Identity in India
14.50-15.00: Discussion led by Charles Jeurgens (UvA)
15.00-15.10: Break
15.10-15.30: Hayley Mickleburgh (UvA): TBA
15.30-15.45: Discussion led by Francesco Mazzucchelli (UNIBO)
15.45-16.00: Break
16.00-17.00: Concluding discussion led by Britt Baillie (UvA), Ihab Saloul (UvA), and Marek Tamm (TLU)
17.30: Dinner and drinks at BG2

January 18 2025 

14.00-16.00: Visit: Eye Filmmuseum
16.00-17.00: Amsterdam canal boat cruise, departing from Central Station
18.00: Optional dinner at Venus en Adonis: Prinsengracht 274