The National Museum of Lithuania, Vilnius is hosting the International Conference Scattered, Tracked, Connected: New Approaches to Dispersed Heritage on the 29th-30th April 2026 and has opened a call for papers.
Proposals should explore how museums and memory institutions identify, interpret, recontextualize, and connect dispersed heritage objects – through archival research, digital tools, community collaboration, and ethical storytelling.
20-minute paper proposals are invited that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:
- Mapping the Dispersed: Tracing object biographies, diaspora collections, and forgotten networks through documentation, digital tools, and provenance research.
- Whose Heritage Is It: Ethical frameworks, restitution debates, legal frameworks, and shared authority in representing and interpreting displaced collections.
- Digital Reconnections: Virtual reunification of collections, 3D modeling, Linked Open Data, and storytelling platforms as tools for reassembling scattered heritage.
- Silent Absences: Exhibiting absence, loss, or erasure – how cultural institutions address the gaps in their collections and narratives.
- Institutions and Imagination: Innovative curatorial strategies to activate dispersed heritage – through design, digital mediation, or community involvement.
We encourage submissions from diverse disciplines and institutions. Co-authored proposals are welcome.
Proposals should include:
- A 250–300-word abstracts in English or Lithuanian,
- A brief biography (maximum 100 words).
Proposal deadline: 19 December 2025.
The conference is free of charge, but participants are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation expenses. Registration is required.
Further information is available on the Conference website.