Living Collections, Living Communitie
Contemporary Practices of Care in Collecting
On the occasion of Comcol’s 13th annual conference we will join forces with the Chinese
Association of Museums (CAM) in Taiwan in 2023. For this conference we will focus on
contemporary practices of care in collecting.
In the wake of the adoption of the new museum definition at the ICOM General Conference in
August 2022, we would like to explore how we can look at the new aspects that were added,
emphasizing the social role of the museum, but also its involvement in and with diverse
societies. The new definition is both a recognition of existing practices as well as opening new
avenues. What does it mean for the act of collecting, but also for the ways collections are dealt
with?
Critically reflecting on the field of collecting and collections care, we invite our members to join
us in searching, rethinking, negotiating and creating new practices that connect collections to
society. What opportunities do we see for future processes of collecting and the requirements
under which objects can be obtained or maybe left in-situ? Under what circumstances
collectables can be shown and when not? How to create narratives that create space for
conversations and different perspectives. What new possibilities can be imagined for
safeguarding for future generations while also creating opportunities for accessibility for the
current generation.
How can collecting practices be more human-centered, fostering care and well-being? What
current hierarchies are at place about ownership and authority? How is institutional expert
knowledge opposed to knowledge based on personal experience or oral traditions? So, what
are the ethics of collecting we abide by? And whose ethics are they？
In this conference, COMCOL and CAM aim to bring all these questions to the forefront by asking
the participants to reflect on their recent experiences and plan the next steps for their institutions
and the collecting processes of today. What specific methodological approaches towards
collection development do we like to imagine?
For this we welcome experiences, case-studies, and in-depth reflections that help us to empower
and enrich our networks and push the frontier of our understanding about these issues. Over the
course of the conference, we will collectively explore the following areas：
Key themes for the conference and framework
#1 Connecting and reconnecting community-centered practices with intangible and
tangible heritage
Ethics of care of ourselves and of the collections – tangible and intangible.
Collections: ownership or stewardship?
Exploring documenting and collecting living heritage practices that foster diversity
and sustainability in collecting.
#2 Technologies and practices for greater accessibility
Digital collecting practices: new technologies, sustainability, and contemporary collecting.
Privacy management challenges.
NFTs vs public accessibility.
Who defines metadata and their hierarchy?
#3 Collections documentation and interpretation
Intersectional perspectives.
Cross-disciplinarian methodology and dialogue.
Indigenous knowledge systems and collections.
#4 Contemporary practices
Collecting and crisis: how to document multiple voices.
Co-collecting with communities.
Exploring emotions and care for collections.
Collecting tomorrow: sustainable futures.
Intergenerational and interdisciplinary dialogue.
#5 Colonial histories, power, and inequities present within collections.
Decolonization praxis.
Provenance and biographical research, collecting, and trauma.
Racism in collections.
Reconciliation, unconditional repatriation, and restitution.
Equity based collecting practices.
Call for abstracts
Abstracts (between 250 and 300 words) should be sent to: secretary.comcol@icom.museum
by 1 April 2023, midnight CET. Approval of proposals will be announced by 1 May 2023.
Additionally, we warmly welcome proposals that go beyond traditional paper presentations and
also encompass panels, highlight sessions (20 images X 6 minutes), workshops, posters or other
formats.