ARTEFACTS XXVII „Objects of Science and Technology in Motion“

ARTEFACTS is an international network of academic and museum-based scholars of science, technology and medicine interested in promoting the use of objects in research. The network was established in 1996 and since then has held annual conferences examining the role of artefacts in the making of science and technology and related areas.

While the last two annual meetings had to be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the next conference will be held at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany, October 16–18, 2022. It will be in person and no longer virtual.

This year’s meeting aims at focusing on the global circulation of knowledge and cultural values embedded in artefacts of science and technology. Complementary to the Global Summit agenda, with which ARTEFACTS is connected, the ARTEFACTS meeting also will focus on global connections and disconnections. Objects of science and technology will be understood as material manifestations of historical relations, agents in changing configurations of globalization and power, and as problems for research museums in stewardship, interpretation, preservation/conservation, and opportunities for collaboration with other institutions.

Papers exploring the following topics are welcome

• The historical role of the circulation of objects/collections of science and technology in transnational contexts, especially re Global North/South. 
• The (multiple) transformations that objects experience over the course of their life cycles (before, during and after living in museums): as they age, decay, are conserved or reborn virtually as data sets and digital bodies. 
• Challenges of interpreting and presenting complex object biographies for museum audiences.
• Potential ethical issues in provenance/ownership of objects in motion. 
• (Transnational) Collaborations with other institutions in facilitating preservation/interpretation of moving objects.

ARTEFACTS conferences are friendly and informal meetings with the character of workshops. There is plenty of time for open discussion and networking. Each contributor is allocated a 20 minutes slot for her or his talk plus ample of time for questions and discussion. Please send your proposal for sessions or individual papers (ca 500 words) along with a brief CV to Helmuth Trischler (h.trischler(at)deutsches-museum.de) no later than Friday, July 15 2022. Please remember that the focus of presentations should be on artefacts.

Prof. Dr. Helmuth Trischler
Head of Research, Deutsches Museum
Director, Rachel Carson Center
Museumsinsel 1
80538 Munich
Tel +49-89-2179-209
Fax +49-89-2179-239
e-mail h. trischler(at)deutsches-museum.de