Hacking Cultural Heritage : the Hackathon as a Method for Heritage Interpretation

Abstract

Hackathons were originated from both the evolution of and revolution caused by personal computers. Initially, they have been implemented as a collaborative method for solving computer-related problems or conceptualizing new possibilities based on specific infrastructures. Only later on, when Cultural Institutions had undergone intensive digitization, Hackathons started to be part of their repertoire. Because of the special nature of Cultural Institutions, Hackathons for Cultural Heritage cannot be understood in the same way as their counterparts happening in a purely engineering domain. Problem solving and conceptualization through collaborative programming are entangled with the significance of the content matter they intend to deal with: the institutionsa collections. Based on these considerations, this thesis aims at explaining the underlying principles, interactions, and infrastructures of the Hackathon as a method for Heritage Interpretation. Moreover, the thesis also proposes a Fast-speed IT Platform, which was designed within the context of the Two-speed IT infrastructure, where a foundational, stable, and slow infrastructure is complemented by an additional creative, experimental, and agile infrastructure, which is capable of promptly responding to the needs of communities. The platform is an effort to implement strategies for interpreting, recontextualizing, and telling stories with Digital Collections. In addition, the platform aims at mitigating problems concerning technical knowledge that is usually required for taking advantage of the affordances of Digital Collections as a creative material.