The one-year Digital Identity programme launches in Sweden in January, 2015
In January 2015, several national Swedish organisations will participate in the Digital Identity programme to define new digital narratives for cultural heritage.
Each participating organisation represents a unique facet of Swedish cultural heritage to a regional, national and international audience. Historiska museet is one of the largest museums in Sweden and holds more than 10 million artefacts. Stadsmuseet i Stockholm is the largest municipal museum in Sweden and has 300,000 items of historical interest and 3 million photographs. Tekniska museet is Sweden’s largest museum of technology. Naturhistoriska riksmuseet is the national museum of natural history and was founded in 1819.
Building a digital ecosystem of engagement
The Digital Identity programme enables organisations to create value-driven digital ecosystems for audiences to engage with cultural heritage online and offline. Participating organisations will also explore emerging trends in the digital space to realise this vision. This includes social media, 3D printing, Open Data and digitisation to increase access to collections.
“The cultural heritage of Stockholm will always be of great interest for the inhabitants, as well as for the visitors to the city. We have to learn how to change our ways to work, think and connect with our visitors of today, and also with the visitors of future generations.”
– Sara Claesson, Head of Communications at Stadsmuseet i Stockholm
Chris Milk, The Treachery of Sanctuary – 2012, Photo by Anna Gerdén
The one-year development programme will be delivered in four phases that include discovery and skills training; building storytelling campaigns; building participation in physical and virtual events, and building sustainability.
“As a museum of science and technology, we recognize the need to embrace digital and social tools – especially since we aim to be ‘the favourite place of every little genius’. To attract a digitally born generation we need to present our stories and collections in new ways,”
– Sofia Seifarth, Head of Collections, Documentation and Research at Tekniska museet
A tremendous appetite to innovate in the digital space
The launch of the one-year programme is a conclusion of a journey that began in 2013 when IdeK-Lab hosted the 2-day Digital Identity seminars in Stockholm. These sessions brought together participants from across Sweden and Norway. This includes Nordiska museet (Stockholm), Nobel Peace Centre (Oslo) and Ájtte museum (Jokkmokk). The seminars highlighted the tremendous appetite amongst cultural and heritage institutions to explore and innovate in the digital space.
The programme is based on the Digital Identity framework developed by Abhay Adhikari (PhD). The framework and workshops have been delivered to an eclectic audience across 9 countries, from creative entrepreneurs in Moscow to multinational executives in Berlin. Abhay started his career working with independent publishers and human rights organisations in India. He has a research background in Biofeedback Gaming from the University of York, UK. On completing his research he spent some time working away from technology and undertook a 5-city tour of Japan running mindfulness workshops.
“As digital and social tools become ubiquitous, organisations need to take a more reflective and value driven approach. The goal should be to build inclusive knowledge networks and participation rather than contribute to the white-noise of social media,”
– Abhay Adhikari, lead consultant for the Digital Identity framework
The sentiment is shared by delivery partners IdeK-Lab, a hub of excellence in the field of mediation of cultural heritage through digital channels. The lab recognizes the need for museums to adopt a new culture that enables digital. Its board members hold positions at the Nordiska museet, Royal Armoury and Västarvet as well as in the non-profit sector.
Contact
Digital Identity: Abhay Adhikari – contact[at]digitalidentities[dot]info
IDEK: Swedish, Kajsa Hartig – info[at]idek[dot]se