Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
All Sciences Academy, Konya, 2026
The proliferation of digital technologies and algorithmic systems has fundamentally transformed curatorial practice, yet existing frameworks inadequately capture how agency is distributed across human and non-human actors in digital exhibition contexts. This study addresses this gap by developing and empirically refining the Digital Curatorial Role Matrix, a multi-axial framework conceptualizing digital curatorship not as a singular professional role but as distributed functions enacted across five interconnected axes: Ontological (art-technology mediation), Operational (data and workflow stewardship), Experiential (audience experience design), Social (participation and community), and Technical (immersive systems and infrastructure).
Employing a convergent mixed-method design, the study integrates semi-structured interviews with artists (n=5), curators (n=5), and technology providers (n=3) in Turkey with a visitor survey (n=88). Qualitative data were analyzed through deductive thematic analysis using MAXQDA; quantitative data underwent descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and comparative analyses. Triangulation revealed patterns of convergence and divergence between producer intentions and visitor perceptions.
Findings identify five decision nodes where curatorial agency is negotiated among actors, five conflict zones representing structural tensions without stable resolution, and systematic actor alignments varying across axes. The technology provider emerges as the most consistently present actor, appearing in dominant alignments on four of five axes, confirming that technical systems function as active participants rather than neutral tools. A notable gap between participatory rhetoric and actual visitor motivation was identified, alongside absent systematic experience evaluation protocols.