Chicken and Egg: Reporting from a Datathon Exploring Datasets of the COVID-19 Special Collections

Report (2021)

This report is the first in a short series of WARCnet papers which aim to provide feedback on an internal datathon conducted by Working Group 2 of the WARCnet project. It explores the creation of ... [more ▼]

This report is the first in a short series of WARCnet papers which aim to provide feedback on an internal datathon conducted by Working Group 2 of the WARCnet project. It explores the creation of transnational merged datasets and corpora, based on seed lists, derived data and metadata provided by several web archiving institutions. The report highlights our first explorations of specially curated COVID web archives, in order to prepare an in-depth exploration of the issues, challenges, limitations and opportunities afforded by these heterogeneous datasets. [less ▲]

Materializing Memories. Dispositifs, Generations, Amateurs

Book published by Bloomsbury (2018)

A multitude of devices and technological tools now exist to make, share, and store memories and moments with family, friends, and even strangers. Memory practices such as home movies, which originated as ... [more ▼]

A multitude of devices and technological tools now exist to make, share, and store memories and moments with family, friends, and even strangers. Memory practices such as home movies, which originated as the privilege of a few, well-to-do families, have now emerged as ubiquitous and immediate cultures of sharing. Departing from the history of home movies, this volume offers a sophisticated understanding of technologically mediated, mostly ritualized memory practices, from early beginnings in the fin-de-siècle to today. Departing from a longue durée perspective on home movie practices, Materializing Memories moves beyond a strict historical study to grapple with highly theorized fields, such as media studies, memory studies, and science and technology studies (STS). The contributors to this volume reflect on these different intellectual backgrounds and perspectives, but all chapters share a common framework by addressing practices of use, user configurations, and relevant media landscapes. Grasping the cultural dynamics of such multi-faceted practices requires a multidimensional conceptual approach, here achieved by centering around three concepts as central analytical lenses: dispositifs, generations, and amateurs. [less ▲]

'Hare Majesteit de Smalfilm' - De making of de vroege amateurfilm(er)

in Tijdschrift voor Mediageschiedenis (2014), 17(1), 7-26

This article reconstructs the world of the Dutch amateur film around 1930; a dynamic period during which the amateur film gradually developed from being just one branch of photography (cinematography) to ... [more ▼]

This article reconstructs the world of the Dutch amateur film around 1930; a dynamic period during which the amateur film gradually developed from being just one branch of photography (cinematography) to becoming an independent film discipline. On the basis of a series of articles about amateur film, published in the photography magazine 'Focus', we shed light on the changing creative processes and discourses of early amateur films and by extension the ‘making of’ early amateur filmmakers themselves. The series, which was written by a beginning amateur filmmaker on the threshold of the ‘Nederlandse Smalfilmliga’ [Dutch Amateur Film League] (1931) and the amateur film magazine 'Het Veerwerk' (1932), offers an interesting insider view of the world of amateur films as it is taking shape. Taking the themes that are covered in the series – ranging from simple films of children and holidays to editing – and the associated user dynamics, the article throws light on the amateur filmmakers’ quest for a distinct production culture and way of creating films. [less ▲]