Twelfth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

At present, the uses of digital visualisation as a tool for representation and exhibition of heritage are being shaped by theory, practice, and public reception – and already presenting disturbing tendencies of digital colonialism (Thompson, 2016). The paper critiques current representation and exhibition practices of digital preservation projects. Divided into three sections, it 1. addresses ethnocentric tendencies which persist in the world of heritage preservation and problematizes the objectivist, technology-focused discourse which permeate digital preservation efforts; 2. argues that monuments and heritage sites are meaningful because of the multiplicity of relationships people engender with and through them–being as such, it is argued that in order to preserve a monument or site, it is necessary to focus not solely on its structure and form, but on its function as a part of public space which produces various sociabilities; 3. and, finally, presents several works by artists and archaeologists and historic preservationists informed by artistic practice and visual literacy which approach the presentation of heritage with a larger focus on sociability and subjectivity.