Stories can be shared through material objects such as culturally significant artifacts and digital documentation of heritage spaces. To ensure the stories connected to materials of place aren’t eroded over time, documentation work through photogrammetry, laser scanning, and computer modelling is a common practice. However, who owns the digital archives that become an extension of the material storytelling of place? In the webinar, Ownership of the Materiality of Stories, Mario Santana discusses the ethical dilemmas on data ownership associated with documentation of foreign heritage sites. Stephen Inglis reflects on the use of museums and cultural centres in northern Indigenous communities as sites for reviving and preserving storytelling.

This webinar is part of a larger series: Negotiating Digital Space in Culturally Significant Storytelling.

“Negotiating Digital Space in Culturally Significant Storytelling” is a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary webinar series organized by the Canadian Centre for Mindful Habitats in association with the Bachelor of Media Production and Design Program, School of Journalism, Carleton University (Ottawa) and the Bachelor of Interior Design Program, Algonquin College (Ottawa). The seven-part webinar series, supported by a SSHRC Connection Grant, runs from June 9 to July 28 and will explore the multi-faceted concept of storytelling and how digital technology is expanding on the storytelling toolkit. While digital tools bring new ways to tell stories and remove limitations of access, a multitude of ethical and technical issues arise – such as those of ownership, appropriation, inclusion, and dissemination.