Digitisation & Disruption - UnMuseum Culture & Heritage Programme
On Thursday the 2nd of November 2022 we held the second event in our UnMuseum Culture & Heritage Programme series. This event ‘Digitisation & Disruption,’ focussed on exploring the opportunities and limitations digitisation in the cultural heritage space with an overarching question: Does digitisation allow us to disrupt the traditional (physical)museum space while navigating issues around copyright and ownership?
Image of the panel, from left to right Andrea Wallace, Kelly Foster, Drew Ellery, Anasuya Sengupta, and, Angelique Retief. On the screen, Matuna Kyanya who joined the event virtually from Kenya.
The panel consisted of Matuna Kyanya (African Digital Heritage), Kelly Foster (AfroCROWD UK), Andrea Wallace (University of Exeter), and Drew Ellery (National Archives UK). Our Senior Policy Officer, Angelique Retief introduced us to the discussion by explaining the purpose of the UnMuseum events and the digital UnMuseum prototype. The intention is for this prototype to be an online space in which community-based archivists and cultural producers can ‘upload’ content and curate ‘collections’ through Black and Minoritised lenses.
Image of facilitator Anasuya Sengupta who hosted the event.
We were then welcomed into the engaging and insightful panel discussion by host Anasuya Sengupta, an Indian Poet, Author, Activist, and Co-director of Whose Knowledge? Digitisation was discussed in the context of community skills, expertise, and emotion, as well as the politics and power of whose stories and histories we share.
Image of Kelly Foster and Drew Ellery sharing thoughts during the discussion.
There was a wide range of expertise shared by our panelists in their respective fields. Among these are knowledge-based approaches to digital solutions, the rejection of disciplines and boundaries at times, and the increased representation of diverse communities within UK archive collections.
Image of Andrea Wallace sharing her thoughts around copyright.
The conversation went into copyright into the public domain, accessibility, and the need for both digitised content, and analogue productions. A thoroughly enjoyable, stimulating, and necessary discussion was had by all and we look forward to our next UnMuseum event, ‘Telling Stories,’ facilitated by Stuart Taylor, Decolonial Scholar -Activist. Sign up for this free event here.
All UnMuseum events are filmed and will be accessible and available online soon.