Digital Museumification As a Promising Mechanism for the Preservation and Presentation (Representation) of Historical and Cultural Heritage: Towards the Formulation of the Question

Abstract

Introduction. During the 20th century the functions and essence of museums have undergone changes. One of the most relevant functions of modern museums is museumification. The purpose of the paper is to reveal the features of digital museumification as a promising direction and an actual form of museumification of material and non-material objects included in the socio-cultural environment. Discussion. The undertaken historiographical review allowed us to conclude that there is a sufficient methodological and factual basis for a comprehensive study of the essence of museumification. At the same time, many problems of the theory and practice of museumification have not even received a problematic definition. Analysis. Museumification is of particular importance in the activities of saving, preserving, and introducing cultural heritage objects into the modern socio-cultural environment. In modern domestic and foreign practice museumification develops in two main directions: removal from the natural area and museumification of cultural heritage monuments through actualization or introduction into the socio-cultural environment. The monument, which is a harmonious part of the socio-cultural environment, does not require artificial conservation of the habitat or the area of the monument. It is determined that for such objects of museumification it is reasonable to use the concept of “dynamic museumification”. The most adequate form of “dynamic museumification” should be considered digital museumification. Results. Digital museumification should be understood as an activity for the transformation of cultural heritage objects into living objects that develop together with their cultural space and socio-cultural environment. Digital museumification is presented as a combination of actions and means pointed at ensuring the implementation of preservation and popularizations tasks within the framework of the “smart city” system being formed. Digital museumification objectively makes it necessary to create open information bases for all interested persons. The detected connection between the space of a monument and the channels of forming the historical memory determines the need for organizing digital museumification in a digital creative urban space.