The Conference will explore the topics dealing with the formation, conservation and dispersal of museum and private collections in the culture of past and present.

Collection as a socio-cultural phenomenon and collecting as a way of opening up the world and development of person’s cognitive abilities have been known since ancient times. Their peculiar interpretation and historically determined forms of representation are suggested within each era. Formation, conservation, study and displaying of collection in contemporary culture involve a number of issues that are common to museums of various specialties and different departmental identity, as well as to private museums and collectors. The participants of the Conference "Collection in the Space of Culture" are invited to discuss collection as an important source for the development of culture, education and scholarship, consider topical issues of the history of collections and collecting, critically rethink existing approaches to the interpretation of collections, share experience of working with collections, and present the research results.

Conference focus area: museology, cultural studies, history of arts, history of science etc.

Main Conference Themes

• History of collecting and collections.
• Private collecting and the birth of the museum.
• Notable collections in the history of world cultures.
• Historical collecting practices.
• The collectable: its applied relevance, cultural content and aesthetic value.
• Collecting as a social and cultural phenomenon.
• Cultural semantics of collections.
• Collecting and cultural memory.
• Forgotten collections: revival and restoration.
• Reconstruction of lost collections.
• Collections display and space in historical and contemporary museums.
• The museum as heterotopia.
• Catalogues of collections.
• Interpreting and reinterpreting collections.
• Collecting in the light of material culture studies.
• Collections and collecting in literature and the arts.
• “Open Collection”. Access policies and collections in contemporary museums.
• The economy of collections: collections in light of production, distribution, exchange and consumption practices.
• The contemporary art market, auction, museums and private collectors.

We are especially interested in papers that address the themes related to specialty of our Museum:

• Amber as a collectable.
• Amber in museums and private collections.
• Königsberg / Kaliningrad: Collections of amber in the history of the city.

Contact Info:

Address: Marshall Vasilevskiy Sq. 1, 236016 Kaliningrad, Russia.

tel./fax  +7 4012 466-550
tel./fax  +7 4012 466-888

Correspondence related to the Conference should be sent to the following address: Dr. Irina Polyakova, Coordinator of the Conference ambermuseum.conf at gmail.com