Mediators, media, and meaning: curating digital objects at the Science Museum

This chapter traces the Science Museum’s long history of collecting digital computing and data processing technologies, from the demonstration models of Charles Babbage’s analytical engine, to some of the first digital, electronic computers and programs in the world, including the Pilot ACE machine. Using examples from the museum’s collection, we consider the shift from ‘hero’ collecting, which risks presenting scientific innovation through selected highlights of machines and through key human protagonists, to using material culture as a lens through which to explore how digital technologies and data is culturally, socially and politically constructed.Traditional approaches to collecting punched cards, magnetic tape, and floppy disks, reflect practices of data storage and manipulation, whilst other tangible digital technologies such as cables, routers and servers represent our need to share and transfer data. However, should a museum collect, preserve and present these technologies within a broader context, and provide a lens through which to understand their role and significance within society itself? What role do these technological artefacts – both tangible and intangible – play within the museum organization, for its audiences, for historians, and for society as a whole? Is there an additional requirement to collect, preserve and present the actual data itself?The chapter reviews curatorial approaches to collection development and display by navigating the increasing intangibility of computing and data processing. It highlights the unique challenges and opportunities raised by the proliferation of immaterial technologies, and demonstrates the value of engaging with a wide range of methodologies from disciplines such as the history of science and technology, social history, and cultural studies. The chapter argues that user-focused or embedded curatorial approaches to collecting might result in a more meaningful understanding of the role of computing technology and data in our society, as well as a more representative understanding of the impact of technological development in shaping our past, present and future.