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Study Day 2025

Introduction

Gradually and consistently, the DARIAH-CH Study Day has become the annual meeting of the Swiss digital arts and humanities community. In 2025, the DARIAH-CH consortium organizes its 2025 edition at the University of Lausanne and the EPFL on September 18. 

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The theme of this years' edition is:​

Archiving in Motion: Navigating the Future of Cultural Heritage

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Organised in the framework of DARIAH-CH, the Swiss node of the European Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities DARIAH, the event “Archiving in Motion” is a timely gathering that unites academics, archivists, museum professionals, and the broader public to address pressing issues surrounding recent and historic mnemonic records. As the volume and significance of audiovisual, photographic, and textual materials rapidly expand, so too do the practical, ethical and ecological responsibilities tied to their preservation, access, and interpretation. This DARIAH-CH Study Day aims to explore best practices, technologies, computing infrastructure, and innovative theoretical frameworks that can build bridges between different archival approaches and digital methodologies, ensuring that these invaluable historical repositories remain viable and accessible for researchers, practitioners, and the wider community.

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Through a combination of panel discussions, keynote and project presentations, “Archives in Action” delves into the multifaceted processes of archiving, from data management and curation to computational analysis and immersive visualization. Participants will examine how cutting-edge techniques—such as artificial intelligence, semantic web technologies, and data mining—can enhance engagement with large-scale repositories, enabling more nuanced narratives and comprehensive understandings of both recent and distant pasts. Moreover, the event underscores the significance of ethical considerations in digital archiving, emphasizing the importance of balancing open-access initiatives with respect for privacy, cultural sensitivities, and intellectual property.

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“Archiving in Motion” also highlights the necessity of fostering an embodied, participatory museological experience that resonates with diverse audiences. By integrating perspectives from cultural heritage studies, digital humanities, and community-based projects, this event foregrounds the vital role of storytelling, co-creation, and interactive engagement in the ongoing development of archival methodologies. Ultimately, “Archives in Action” aspires to spark interdisciplinary dialogue, inspire collaborative projects, and provoke fresh insights into the evolving confluence of archives, technology, and society—ensuring that the act of remembering remains dynamic, inclusive, and transformative. By addressing these critical topics, this DARIAH-CH Study Day fortifies the collective pursuit of reimagining archives as vibrant, living resources for generations to come.

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Key topics:

  • Digital Archiving Techniques and Tools

    • Innovative computational methods for large-scale audiovisual, photographic, and textual repositories

    • Semantic web, metadata, and ontology-driven approaches to classification and retrieval

    • AI, machine learning, and data mining applications for archival discovery

  • Bridging Academia, Archives, and Museums

    • Interdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships for knowledge production

    • Community-driven co-creation strategies and participatory archiving

    • Synergies between curatorial practice, research design, and public outreach

  • Visualization and User Experience

    • Engaging audiences through immersive, interactive, or augmented-reality museum displays

    • Designing user-centered interfaces for archival browsing and interpretation

    • Innovative storytelling formats and data visualization for increased accessibility

  • Embodied and Participatory Approaches

    • Rethinking the “visitor” as an active participant or creator in the archive

    • Best practices for immersive and experiential learning within museum and archival spaces

    • Facilitation of embodied knowledge, memory, and heritage transmission

  • Ethical and Legal Considerations

    • Balancing transparency and privacy in open-access initiatives

    • Issues of consent, ownership, and cultural sensitivity in digitizing and sharing archives

    • Intellectual property rights and responsible data stewardship

    • Ethical challenges of using generative AI to mediate archive access

  • Critical Reflections on Archival Theory

    • Examining the social, political, and cultural power of archival practices

    • Decolonizing archives: rethinking inclusivity and representation

    • The evolving role of archives in shaping collective and individual memory

  • Sustainability and Ecological Transition 

    • Digital footprint of archival data and their infrastructures

    • Possibilities of ecological transition for archives 

    • Initiatives for sustainable archival practices

  • Future Perspectives

    • Long-term preservation of born-digital and digitized cultural heritage

    • Strategies for future-proofing archival technologies and infrastructures

    • New directions for research, policy-making, and the professionalization of archival work

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Pre-Call for contributions 

These thematic areas invite contributions that explore theoretical, methodological, and practical dimensions of archiving in the digital age, emphasizing the need for collaborative, ethically aware, and technologically advanced practices. 

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Location

Université de Lausanne

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Organizing committtee:

Sarah Kenderdine (EPFL)​

Tsz Kin Chau (EPFL)

Anita Auer (UNIL)

Anne-Katrin Weber (UNIL)

Cristina Grisot (DARIAH-CH)

Rita Gautschy (DaSCH, DARIAH-CH)

Tobias Hodel (UNIBE)​​

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