Computational Archives for Experimental Museology

This article addresses the potential for computational practises within archival and museological domains by charting a positional shift occurring in digital archives; from working with an object orientation and containment – to computing with a dimension orientation, segmentation, analytics and visualization. Computational museology allows us to conceive new trajectories that link all forms of cultural materiality: objects, knowledge systems, representation and participation. Following key definitions, the authors: outline state of the art in archival access and museological engagement through a series of examples; examine advances in the computational analysis of archives exploring forward-looking trends for massive digital cultural archives; and introduce an upcoming project, Narratives from the long tail: transforming access to audiovisual archives.