The conference “Zugänge zum Textilen. Wissenschaftliche, kuratorische und digitale Perspektiven.” (Approaches to Textiles. Scholarly, Curatorial and Digital Perspectives. Conference of the Commission for Material Culture and Museum in the DGEKW, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Empirische Kulturwissenschaften e. V.) will take place from 11 to 12 November 2024 at the Erbdrostenhof in Münster (in German).
Organisation:
- Prof. Dr. Lioba Keller-Drescher (Institute for Cultural Anthropology/European Ethnology, University of Münster, Inhouse Fellow at the Centre for Advanced Study “Access to Cultural Goods in Digital Change”)
- Dr. Kirsten Bernhardt (LWL-Museumsamt für Westfalen, Münster)
Conference venue:
Erbdrostenhof, Salzstraße 38, 48143 Münster
Registration:
Office of the Institute for Cultural Anthropology/European Ethnology (Anna Steens)
kulturanthropologie@uni-muenster.de
Due to limited capacity, early registration is recommended.
Textile artefacts and objects related to textiles are often found in the collections of museums of cultural history, with and without reference to everyday culture. However, they rarely appear as exhibits. Compared to other material areas, they are underrepresented in both permanent and special exhibitions, except in specialized museums. This indicates that the objects tend to be marginalized. In addition to the challenging conservation of textiles, one reason for this may be the lack of documentation of these artefacts, which are often received in large convolutes. Another reason may lie in their gender and everyday cultural categorization.
How can access to these collection areas be regained or re-established, and what role can digitization play in the scientific and curatorial re-examination? How does digitality change access to textiles? Which efforts to make collections more accessible, both digitally and analogously, and which museum practices and experiences can be presented and discussed at the moment? The conference will also discuss aspects of preservation and research, curation and transfer to digital depots and exhibitions, which at the same time point beyond the realm of textiles and are relevant to anyone interested in material culture and museums.