Imitations, reproductions, restorations, casts, versions, prints, duplicates, replicas, models, miniatures, images, sketches, quotations etc. Copies can be found in storage magazines, workshops, exhibitions and online, they are being used in education and marketing, and they are for sale in the gift shops.
Copies - and the act of copying - is central to an understanding of what museums are, what they do, and how they became perceived as stewards of the original, genuine and authentic.
The Center for Museum Studies in collaboration with the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology will host a conference on the October 24.-25. 2016. We call for presentations that highlight and discuss copies and practices of reproduction in museum contexts. The contributions may relate to dichotomies like original/fake or true/false, or focus on objects, practices and understandings that overcome or escape such binary oppositions.
The Center for Museum Studies will
Contributions may explore:
• Museum collections: thematically focused on concepts like copies, duplicates or print versions, involving different types of objects, collecting practices, disposal, lending and more.
• Education: Exploring the use of 2D and 3D replicas in exhibitions, education and other outreach. The use of dioramas, models, digital guides or digital trails, and what they can convey. Or focus on the relationship between text, photographs and objects or between the digital and the analog.
• Archival practices: Archives, catalogues and calalogue cards. Digital copies of databases, digital museums. Various digital communication tools, guides, "trails", etc.
• Use of reproductions, souvenirs, posters etc. in sales and marketing.
• Conservation practices: restoration, reconstruction, rediscovery/reinvention of techniques and tools, imitations, etc.
There will be sessions with ca. 20 min. presentation + discussion. There will also be sessions with shorter presentations. It is also possible to sign up to present a poster.
There will be a PhD course held in connection with the conference. The course will have a separate registration which will be announced later, but feel free to note your interest via email. The PhD course will be held in English.
The conference is mainly held in Nordic languages, but are open to submissions in English. Key notes will be held in English.
Call for papers
Proposals are required by April 15th. The proposal should be a short description (including a title, max. 300 words) and should be submitted through the application form found by following this link.
If you have any questions, please send an email to: culturecopies@ikos.uio.no