Mass Data Methodologies

What does it mean to think about art history beyond the singular; to think about the mass rather than the individual, about patterns and populations? And how do artistic populations represent or intersect with the larger, political entities – community, class, nation? How might art-historical research mirror, extend or interrogate the instruments of data collection used in other contexts, including audits, censuses and surveys? Why perform this kind of historical work? What do we need this research for? What is gained and what is lost when focusing on the “mass” rather than the singular “case”? What does thinking about mass data do in relation to the canon? Does it destabilise, extend or amplify? How is mass data reshaping the discipline of art history itself?

This online workshop considers such questions through a series of presentations delivered online, which will include presentations, demonstrations of databases, visualisations and online resources, discussions and debates.