BECACO | Between Canon and Coincidence: using data-driven approaches to understand Art Worlds

Summary
The BECACO project applies a novel multidisciplinary framework to studying the provenance of ethnographic and archaeological collections. Moving away from the current focus in provenance research on single objects, collectors, or institutions, the aim of the project is to reconceptualize provenance as the large-scale study of the socio-politico-historical conjunctures that led to the translocation of cultural material. To do so, it introduces the concept of Art World Patterns, an expansion and reframing of the idea of Art Worlds (Becker 2008[1982]).

These patterns will be identified through an innovative combination of various data-driven methodologies. By applying quantitative analyses, network analysis, and data mining on a large corpus of provenance data, the project will explore the promises and limitations of different data-driven approaches in the context of large-scale ethnographic/archaeological provenance research. Through this process, the project will devise new models for provenance research in ethnographic and archaeological museums.

These conceptual and methodological advances will be mobilized through the study of Indigenous Latin American material from 12 museums in 9 countries. The project will create a ground-breaking diachronic, international, and cross-institutional understanding of the collecting of Indigenous Latin American material in Europe. In doing so, the BECACO team will reconstruct how – through the formation of collections – the Indigenous Latin American Art World as it existed in Europe between 1850-2000 constructed a discourse of art, aesthetics, and academic research that shaped how Indigenous Latin America is represented and understood in Europe until today.
Unfold all
/
Fold all
More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101117234
Start date: 01-01-2024
End date: 31-12-2028
Total budget - Public funding: 1 498 695,00 Euro - 1 498 695,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

The BECACO project applies a novel multidisciplinary framework to studying the provenance of ethnographic and archaeological collections. Moving away from the current focus in provenance research on single objects, collectors, or institutions, the aim of the project is to reconceptualize provenance as the large-scale study of the socio-politico-historical conjunctures that led to the translocation of cultural material. To do so, it introduces the concept of Art World Patterns, an expansion and reframing of the idea of Art Worlds (Becker 2008[1982]).

These patterns will be identified through an innovative combination of various data-driven methodologies. By applying quantitative analyses, network analysis, and data mining on a large corpus of provenance data, the project will explore the promises and limitations of different data-driven approaches in the context of large-scale ethnographic/archaeological provenance research. Through this process, the project will devise new models for provenance research in ethnographic and archaeological museums.

These conceptual and methodological advances will be mobilized through the study of Indigenous Latin American material from 12 museums in 9 countries. The project will create a ground-breaking diachronic, international, and cross-institutional understanding of the collecting of Indigenous Latin American material in Europe. In doing so, the BECACO team will reconstruct how – through the formation of collections – the Indigenous Latin American Art World as it existed in Europe between 1850-2000 constructed a discourse of art, aesthetics, and academic research that shaped how Indigenous Latin America is represented and understood in Europe until today.

Status

SIGNED

Call topic

ERC-2023-STG

Update Date

12-03-2024
Images
No images available.
Geographical location(s)
Structured mapping
Unfold all
/
Fold all
Horizon Europe
HORIZON.1 Excellent Science
HORIZON.1.1 European Research Council (ERC)
HORIZON.1.1.0 Cross-cutting call topics
ERC-2023-STG ERC STARTING GRANTS
HORIZON.1.1.1 Frontier science
ERC-2023-STG ERC STARTING GRANTS