Open AccessTradition (re)visited: from place to presence
Author(s) -
Chiel van den Akker
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
nordisk museologi
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2002-0503
pISSN - 1103-8152
DOI - 10.5617/nm.3149
Subject(s) - representation (politics) , object (grammar) , cultural heritage , aesthetics , sociology , visual arts , history , computer science , art , archaeology , artificial intelligence , political science , politics , law
Three ways of encountering objects belonging to our cultural heritage can be distinguished. We may encounter an object in its traditional environment, we may encounter an object in an environment of preservation, and we may encounter an object in an environment of representation. These three ways of encountering objects provide a framework for addressing the question of how we relate to cultural heritage by means of digital media. Digital reproductions of our cultural heritage belong to the third way of encountering objects. In our present day, we first and foremost relate to tradition by representing it, whereas before we first and foremost related to tradition by remembering it. Places of memory are exchanged for the presence of representation in a culture driven by information technology.