Ẹyo Otọ
Ẹyo Otọ is a learning space about the objects and their Edo designations. Listen, view and read about their use, production and function.
Catalogue
Search, filter and explore data, images and linked research for 5,288 objects from 138 institutions in twenty countries.
Institutions
View objects listed in the 138 institutions in twenty countries currently holding historical Benin objects in their collections.
Provenance
Study the roles, biographies and object relations of provenance names found in the information provided by 138 institutions.
Map
Explore a present day map of Edo South (ancient Benin Kingdom) and Benin City. See the current location of the historical objects worldwide.
Oral History
Listen to oral traditions Benin people share, to transmit and preserve knowledge and cultural traditions from one generation to another.
Itan Edo
Itan Edo is the story of Benin Kingdom. Read about the cultural and historical trajectories related to kings, queens, guilds and more.
Archival Documents
Access the digitised archival documents that relate to the historic Benin objects, their provenance stories and the wider history of Benin Kingdom.
Archival Institutions
Explore a source guide of institutions that hold archival material related to the Benin Kingdom, its history and the objects shown on the platform.
Digital Research Tools
Study data on the platform with digital research tools and visualisations.
About the project
Dr. Anne Luther is the project catalyst. She ensures that all participants are on the same page according to timeline, design, technical development and research goals. She defines the overall operations strategy and set the development direction based on her years of experience as a research manager at the Center for Data Arts at the New School in New York and as a PI and catalyst for various digital projects with museums internationally. Her knowledge of digital project development standards is used to comply with regulatory requirements and ensure the operation and security of all services. Luther has an in-depth, advanced understanding of various digital platforms, protocols and related technical standards critical to the operation of the digital platform. She leads the team in assessing all changes and improvements and achieving strategic goals. Furthermore, she takes the lead role in the testing and evaluation of new and enhanced developments. She liaises among various stakeholders for project and operation needs and communicates with all institutions for the acquisition and transfer of data, answering legal negotiations and building partnerships with the institutions. Luther collaborates with the technical lead, researchers, PIs and external scholars and consultants. She sets standards and requirements for equipment needs and implemented procedures to ensure maximum uptime and quality. She also maintains and defines budgetary needs and establishes, maintains and negotiates institutional partnerships. She works with the technical team on the overall development approach for the platform and established the metadata structure for linking the diverse datasets.
Biography
Dr. Anne Luther is a specialist for digital heritage and a digital humanities scholar. Her work applies technology, design and humanities research for the interaction, exploration and opening of cultural heritage preserved and represented in digital data. She is the founder of the Institute for Digital Heritage, an organisation that specialises in the development of digital solutions for cultural heritage. Luther secured grants for the Chair of Modern Art History at TU Berlin (VW Foundation), Fordham University (NEH) and the Museum am Rothenbaum, MARKK (Siemens Foundation) amongst others and is the Principle Investigator for these projects in digital scholarship and digital art history. She was the research manager at the Center for Data Arts at The New School in New York and built an emphasis on the analysis of museum data and leading data sprints, workshops, international research collaborations, software development, and publications between 2015-2018 and was a Andrew W. Mellon Fellow for 2021-22 at the Price Lab for Digital Humanities at UPenn. She established a focus in data-driven research in museums and digital art history and taught art theory as a teaching assistant for Professor Boris Groys at NYU in 2014-2017. She received her PhD from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London. Her research is grounded in cultural studies, digital humanities, and art theory bridging an interdisciplinary approach to computer sciences, IT, and design. Anne worked in several arts institutions internationally including MoMA PS1, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, HKW, Front Desk Apparatus and continues to work as an independent art advisor, consultant and curator internationally.
Further information
Contact
Selected publications
2022. ‘Digital Heritage’, in Networks of Care, neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst, Berlin.
2020. “Digital Provenance,” in Digital Humanities and Art History, edited by Kathryn Brown. Abington: Routledge.
2019. "Cultural Collections as Data: Aiming for Digital Data Literacy and Tool Development," MW19: MW 2019. Published February 1, 2019. Co-authored with Liz Neely and Chad Weinard.
2018. “Current state of the arts in data visualization,” in Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse (SKAD), Keller, Reiner/Hornidge, Anna/Schünemann, Wolf (Hrsg.). Abington: Routledge.
2018. “Activating Museums’ Data for Research, Scholarship, and Public Engagement,” Journal of the Center for Data Arts, The New School.