Kostas Arvanitis
Lecturer in Museology
School of Arts, Histories & Cultures
E-mail: kostas.arvanitis@manchester.ac.uk
Full Profile
Research Profile
Kostas's research is in the intersection of museology, archaeology, cultural heritage and new media. His work in the area of Digital Heritage includes the theory and practice of digital technology in museums, galleries and heritage sites, including issues of user interaction and participation, multimedia interpretation and digital content curatorship. He is particularly interested in the use of mobile and Web 2.0 media in museums for purposes of curation, interpretation and learning. His other research interests include archaeological curatorship and how it is translated in different contexts, such as archaeological museums, open-air museums and sites in urban environments. Kostas uses qualitative research methodology, including unobtrusive/participant observation, interviews and focus groups, as well as visual and virtual ethnography.
Kostas has, also, a longstanding interest in how museums relate to 'the everyday'. Previous related research has included an investigation of the relation between museums, everyday life and mobile media. Drawing on museological and cultural studies theory, he has explored how three archaeological monuments in Thessaloniki (Greece) are interpreted and used in daily life and the potential of using mobile phones to capture the monuments' 'everyday meanings'. Based on the outcomes of this research, Kostas is currently working on a project titled "'Curators in Residence': Hidden archaeological sites and virtual curating". This research aims to engage city residents in Greece with the interpretation and presentation of antiquities preserved under modern buildings via the use of digital media.
Research Projects
- Curators in Residence: Hidden Archaeological sites and virtual curating
- Digital Heritage Research Training Initiative
Supervision Areas
Kostas is interested in supervising research on:
- Digital media in museums, galleries and heritage environments
- Mobile media as mobile museums
- Web 2.0 media, audience development and online curatorship
- Museum exhibitions in outdoor spaces
- Archaeological sites in everyday settings
- Archaeological curatorship and museum archaeology
Relevant publications
- Arvanitis, K. (under review) '"Winning hearts and minds": The Parthenon Marbles Restitution Claim and the new Acropolis Museum'
- Arvanitis, K. (under review) 'The rhythm of the everyday and the arrhythmia of 'museality': observing the everyday life of three archaeological monuments in Greece'
- Arvanitis, K. (under review) 'Museums and the Infiltration of Everyday Life'
- Arvanitis, K. (2010). 'Museums outside walls: mobile phones and the museum in the everyday'. In Museums in a Digital Age, ed. by Ross Parry. London: Routledge, pp. 170-176
- Arvanitis K. Jarvis, T. and Pell, T. (2005). Learning on the Move Evaluation: Final Report. Report for the National Space Centre
- Arvanitis, K. (2005). 'Management of "virtual archaeological sites": The case of "Odysseus"', The Aithrion. Scientific Review of the School of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, Volume IX, pp. 89-102 (in Greek)
- Arvanitis, K. (2005). 'Mobilna vrata: muzeji, mobilni telefoni i dokumentacija svakodnevnog ~ivota', Muzeologija, 41/42, 301-316 (in Croatian)
- Arvanitis, K. (2005). 'Imag(in)ing the Everyday: Using camera phones to access the everyday meanings of archaeological monuments'. In Digital Culture & Heritage. Proceedings of ICHIM 05, Paris 21-23 Sept. 05. Electronic Proceedings
- Arvanitis, K. (2004). 'Museums and the Everyday: Making Meaning of an Ancient Monument in Greece', Museological Review, 11, 1-15
- Arvanitis, K. Scaltsa, M. and Nikonanou, K. (2001). 'Preparing the emergence of a University History Museum at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece' Nieuwsbrief Universiteitsgeschiedenis, No. 2, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam