This intersection of computing and the disciplines of the humanities has created a new, diverse landscape for exploration and research: the emerging field of the digital humanities.

Collecting institutions offer a bounty of material for researchers to explore and new technologies and connectedness are driving the re-emergence of collaborations between museums and universities.

In his introductory remarks at the opening night of the Cultural Collisions: the Future of the Object symposium held at the University of Melbourne this month, AARNet’s CEO, Chris Hancock, said connectedness offers tantalising possibilities for empowering people through technology, and research infrastructure providers (like AARNet) have a critical role to play.

“What’s the big deal? We’re talking about connecting – about enabling data sharing and data flow. It’s about allowing diverse research collaborations to thrive, and access to facilities and virtual labs.”

Hancock said collecting institutions, digital scholarship labs, science galleries and community hubs are the new spaces that are driving research exploration and translation.

“What’s important is thinking about and planning for data accessibility, searchability and reasearchability and how this connectedness informs Australia’s research and education outcomes.”

New Materialities

AARNet was proud to be a sponsor of this opening night event. The keynote address and panel discussion explored the relationship between the material and the digital, the role of the object, technology and where it is all heading.

Director of iGLAM (the Lab for Innovation in Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) Professor Sarah Kenderdine’s opening keynote highlighted her ground breaking research in interactive and immersive experiences for galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAMs). She then joined other GLAM sector innovators – Seb Chan, Chief Experience Officer at Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Tim Hart, Director of Public Engagement, Museum Victoria and Angelita Teo, Director of the National Museum of Singapore – for the panel discussion. Using examples, the panel explored the ways in which material and digital natures are able to speak to different registers of meaning and perception, and through new configurations, produce new kinds of meaning.

Watch the recording of the keynote and panel discussion.

Find out more about how to connect to AARNet.