Collecting plays a prominent role as a practice of selecting, recording and structuring material and immaterial objects not only in the realm of museums and archives, but also in organizations. In the context of digital transformation and the rising use of generative AI, (“big”) data collection has become one of the most important competitive factors, seemingly paving the way for a further dematerialisation of both the economy and culture. Arguably, such an idea of the futures of collecting does not stand up to closer scrutiny. Furthermore, the excessive use of energy-intensive forms of computing, such as generative AI, is in stark contrast to the goal of sustainability and ecological transition. In this sense, the digital transformation raises numerous questions of how we will deal with our tangible and intangible heritage now and in the future:
- How do societies and organisations relate to their own histories (including identity and change) and to their accumulated repertoires of concepts and actions through collecting processes, in the context of an increasing entanglement of analogue and digital objects and collections?
- How do interactive forms of designing and presenting archives, collections and knowledge, e.g. through generative AI or Extended Reality (XR), reshape our approach to history, identity and the practices of collecting?
- Which objects and data will we (still) store in the future, and with which resources and technologies? And which data and processes is endangered to become ineffective, meaningless or even pointless in a changing environment?
The question of cultural ‘big’ data and knowledge production becomes particularly pressing in light of recent developments in the field of AI. Human forms of knowledge production are increasingly intertwined with machine learning—a development that risks transforming collecting from a socio-technical practice into a purely technological problem. This needs to be critically examined from a cultural, curatorial and organisational studies perspective.
For the DAC Summer School 2025, we invite contributions from cultural, curatorial, archival and organizational studies that address the diverse practices of ‚sorting out’ and ‘sorting in‘ in the sense of making material and immaterial collections accessible and meaningful. We particularly invite contributions that critically examine the opportunities and challenges of increasing technologization, especially through AI.
We are looking forward to receiving proposals for contributions, particularly from the following areas:
- Archive, museum and exhibition practices: What experiences have been made in the processing of pre- and post-mortem estates, library and museum holdings etc., what are selecting and classification criteria and? How sustainable in terms of the comprehensive approach of the SDGs can these processes be designed? How is AI changing these processes?
- Social history, ethnology and popular culture: What are the relevant items/objects and practices with regard to the museumization or archiving of material and immaterial cultural heritage? How participatory can such collection processes be designed? What shall we collect from our digital age and how?
- Organizations: How do organizations deal with their own history, what spaces of reflection and negotiation of identity arise and how are the relevant material and immaterial collections ordered and organized? How do cultural patterns of action differ from their translation into machine pattern recognition? How does the discourse on rationalisation, administrative effectiveness and efficiency change in the digital age?
- Mediation, communication, storytelling, creative industries: How do we construct an identity based on the sorting and sorting out of inventory goods with the means of language, images, signs, and designs in the age of (cultural) “big data”? To what extent do branding, corporate identity, etc. build on such inventories?
- (Digital) games and gamification practises: (Digital) games and gamification transform collecting into a playful pursuit of exploration and comparison—whether dealing with physical artifacts, digital assets, or intangible knowledge. In this environment, blockchain can secure and authenticate collections, while generative AI opens new avenues of creative engagement and personalization. Yet these technologies also raise pressing questions about sustainability, data sovereignty, and the erosion of human agency in curatorial processes. Balancing this playful impulse with ethical and responsible practices is therefore vital for ensuring that collecting remains both meaningful and inclusive.
Important Dates
- Abstract Submission Deadline: April 7, 2025
- Acceptance Notification: April 30, 2025
- Event Dates: July 2-4, 2025
- First Draft of Paper Submission: August 1, 2025
- Iterative Review Process Completion: February 1, 2026
- Publication Date: Fall 2026
For more information: www.donau-uni.ac.at/de/universitaet/fakultaeten/bildung-kunst-architektur/departments/kunst-kulturwissenschaften/summer-school/summerschool-2025-call.html
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