INVESTIGATING MUSEUM COLLECTIONS: A COMBINATION OF DIGITAL AND TECHNICAL ART HISTORY

The course aims at providing insights into the ways museums research and document their collections, and will focus on new approaches within digital humanities and technical art history to catalogue, document and research objects. There will be special attention to data-driven object-based research, both art historical and technical, using methods from technical art history which combines art historical research with data obtained from scientific analyses and digital imaging methods. The course aims at introducing students to these increasingly interdisciplinary research approaches used to unlock and share the many stories hidden in artworks, and how digital data play an increasingly significant part in that.
The objectives of the course are:
• to gain insights into scientific analytical approaches and interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of technical art history;
• to develop skills in analysing and interpreting texts, images and digital formats, on studio practice and art technology ;
• to recognise and evaluate various strands of research crucial for specific data-driven object-based research to set up an interdisciplinary research programme;
• to gain an understanding of conservation approaches and ethics, including digital restoration and documentation, both for historical and modern artworks;
• to learn digital humanities methodologies, including digital imaging and documentation methods, aimed at object/collection-based research;
to gain an understanding of FAIR digital cultural heritage collection building and sharing.

1. Knowledge and comprehension: Knowledge and comprehension: knowing the range of research methods that can be part of data-driven object-based research; knowing the different approaches within museum-based collection research to understand the role of digital humanities with this environment; knowing the history of and new developments within the field of technical art history.2.
2. Competences and abilities: Acquiring the skills to work in an interdisciplinary team; delivering a clear research proposal for object-based projects; delivering an informed proposal for digital data-driven research.
3. Judgment abilities: assessing the different stakeholder roles within interdisciplinary teams; evaluating the potential of different research approaches for object-based research.
4. Communication abilities Interacting with disciplinary and inter/multidisciplinary professionals led by gained knowledge of a communal language focused on the central research question; communicating research results in various ways to different audiences.
5. Learning abilities: Interacting with disciplinary and inter/multidisciplinary professionals led by gained knowledge of a communal language focused on the central research question; communicating research results in various ways to different audiences.

No particular prerequisite is expected for this course. It is desirable that students have a good knowledge of Early Modern art history (16th-17th century). But foremost students need to have a special interest in object-based research, including technical research into the materials and methods used by artists/artisans, how to understand historical studio practice and how to examine, visualise and digitize data.

The course will focus on technical art history, engaging with data-driven object-based research, digital data gathering, interdisciplinarity within the museum environment. Object-based research combines a variety of research strands to gain a thorough understanding of how the object was made but also what its meaning is and when, why, where and by whom it was made. We will look into issues of authenticity, digital reconstructions and using art technological texts to inform our research.

Mandatory bibliography
tbc
Optional bibliography
tbc

To verify the achievement of the course objectives, students will have to write an illustrated essay focused on object-based research, of 3000 words max, including footnotes and references, but not including tables, captions. This can be a case study of one or more objects, a historical artistic method and/or material, or a more theoretical essay on methodology and or theoretical concepts based on the knowledge gained throughout the course. Students will also write either a blog post or a short exhibition text panel of 600 words max, based on their research essay.
Students will present their preliminary results during the course to discuss their approach and discuss options and questions that may arise. The student cohort is expected to act as peer reviewers during these oral presentations. The essay will be 20/30 mark, plus blog/ exhibition text 5/30 mark, and the oral presentation will be 5/30 points.

The course will consist of the following:
- Lectures on relevant topics from technical art history, digital methods, object-based research, technical analytical methods and imaging, interdisciplinarity, issues of authenticity
- There will be specific seminars on case studies that need to be prepared in advance by the students, and will provide opportunities to present preliminary research.
- Field trips to places of making as well as museums in Venice, to meet practitioners, curators, conservators.

English

During the course period, there will be various visits organised to museums, galleries, artist/artisans studios. There may be an opportunity for hands-on work and/or reconstructions of historical recipes if time and facilities allow this.
These visits are not compulsory but students need to attend at least two activities organised for this course.

Essay, blog/exhibition text, oral presentation

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Cities, infrastructure and social capital" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development