Contextual Review: Digitalisation of Collections
/ Abstract
/ Introduction
/ Contextual Review
/ Attachments to Objects
/ Storytelling in Objects
/ Digitalisation of Collections
/ Methods Overview
/ Memory Objectification
/ Conclusion
/ Bibliography
Digital copies of information provide an extra level of security through encryption and holds a greater capacity for longevity however, despite the benefits of technology, there will always be space for analogue due its ability of accuracy and simplicity (Woodford, 2025). Curating collections digitally allows for a larger range of materialities alongside the documentation and organisational processes of contents. These elements open doors for diverse communication forms and interactions from wider audiences.
The Powerhouse Museum, known for its large collection of objects, has maintained the security of documentation of its collection beyond being behind locked doors and maintained conditions. They are in charge of taking care of millions of items of international and national origin that have significance in either political, cultural, environmental, or historical settings including the Powerhouse Archives and the Powerhouse Institutional Archives which preserves the museum’s own institutional memory. The items can vary from records, publications, technologies, health and medicine objects, physical sciences, architecture, decorative arts, fashion, design, and contemporary culture. (Powerhouse, 2019) All items that are brought into the Powerhouse Collection have policies in place to protect the quality of the items, ensures the items are clearly titled and have accurate ownership history. The Museum is backed by the government with funding and heritage listings for locations’ buildings as well as the curation of objects and the ability to access the collection digitally.
‘Collection Digitisation’ a Powerhouse practice to create and preserve digital representations of collection objects (Powerhouse Studio, n.d) and since 2019 the Museum has created an accessible online database of the Powerhouse Archival Collection of over 400,000 objects dating back to 1880 (see Figure 1). This is important as maintaining their quality ensures current and future generations can learn about and from the past.
Parts of the object collection that are protected in The Powerhouse Museum are like everyday items you’d might find on your families’ homes like a childhood Australian toy ‘Blinky Bill Doll’ (see Figure 2) or a fragrant ‘Chanel No5’ Perfume bottle (see Figure 3). Chanel is an iconic, now higher end fashion brand that originally started as a hat boutique in 1910 (Chanel, n.d) whilst the perfume itself was created to represent femininity with sophistication and luxury (Stanley, 2024) in 1921, that is now a timeless piece of fashion and beauty products.
Anyone can wear and access the perfume (see Figure 3) from the supermarket to this day so the overarching element of why a perfume belongs in a museum is linked to the storytelling of history and the societal and cultural importance this object holds. The ‘Blinky Bill Doll’ (see Figure 2) itself is a handmade Australian child toy based off the 1993 adventure cartoon, ‘The Adventures of Blinky Bill’. Designed by Anne Keane in Western Australia after she gained the rights to reproduce the ‘Blinky Bill’ characters in 1980 (Powerhouse, n.d), the cartoon’s character doll represents Australian culture, flora, fauna and ethics of sharing and helping others when in need, that I personally feel is accurate of the country’s morals as mirrored in the Australian National Anthem.
Digitalisation of personal collections is practiced within George Legardy’s ‘Pocket Full of Memories’ 2001 art exhibition built by audiences bringing in valued items, scanning, categorising, and submitting the photograph in installation to add to the interactive data base being developed in real time. The documentation and transforming collections of analogue valued objects into a digital collection though technology generates object metadata including descriptions from the owner communicating the significance and value of their subject object. Legardy’s installation allows a narrative to develop from the audience’s involvement but also creates a wedge between the person’s attachment to their object because it is no longer the individual’s secret prized possession due to the documentation process has transformed it into an archived object with associated metadata to generate cataloguing patterns. This process highlights how storytelling and attachments to objects with bestowed value upon an object can transform a memory objectified into a regular item in a data set.
These examples exist as a collection of personal items that without context, at first seem like the average objects. By understanding the cultural and historical background with the value or influence the audiences they interact with have paired with what memories, connections, and experiences they resemble, then as audiences we can understand why they are in a museum or data catalogue, and why they are valued.
(Source: Powerhouse Museum, 2019)
(Source: Powerhouse Museum, 1999)
(Source: Powerhouse Museum, 2009)
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