On 8 May 2026, the Narva Museum hosted the 2nd International Conference “Culture and Border”, bringing together researchers, museum professionals, and cultural heritage experts to discuss the evolving relationship between culture, borders, and heritage preservation in contemporary society.
As part of the conference program, Agnes Aljas, Research Secretary of the Estonian National Museum (ERM) and PhD candidate at the University of Tartu, delivered a keynote presentation entitled “Museum without Borders: Digital Heritage and New Audiences.”
Her presentation explored how the digitisation of cultural heritage is transforming museums into new, borderless spaces, enabling them to engage with broader, more diverse audiences beyond traditional physical and geographical boundaries. Drawing on insights from the ERM research projects “Digital Cultural Heritage as a Societal Resource” and “i-Game”, Agnes examined how digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and online collections are reshaping the ways cultural heritage is accessed, interpreted, and experienced.
The presentation highlighted both the opportunities and challenges of digital environments, addressing the conditions under which digital heritage becomes meaningful for different users. Particular emphasis was placed on participatory and creative approaches to heritage engagement, including game jams inspired by museum collections and cultural patterns, as well as collaborative initiatives involving young creators.
According to Aljas, successful museum innovation should focus not on technology for its own sake, but on creating meaningful, inclusive, and hybrid digital experiences that connect people with heritage in relevant and engaging ways by fostering new forms of cultural storytelling and audience participation.
The conference itself focused on pressing questions surrounding the preservation, interpretation, and protection of cultural heritage in an increasingly interconnected world. Under the theme “Culture and Border,” discussions examined how borders have historically shaped cultural development while simultaneously acting as spaces of encounter, dialogue, protection, and exchange.
Participants explored the importance of international cooperation in safeguarding cultural assets and addressed challenges related to the movement, preservation, and interpretation of cultural heritage across national boundaries. Particular attention was given to combating cultural heritage trafficking and propaganda, as well as to the role of cultural institutions in shaping perceptions of borders in the past, present, and future.
A particularly impactful contribution came from Ukrainian museum professionals, who shared first-hand experiences of protecting museum collections and collaborating with European institutions under wartime conditions.
Now in its second edition, the Culture and Border Conference continues to provide an important platform for dialogue on the future of cultural heritage, highlighting how museums, researchers, and cultural organisations can work together to ensure that heritage remains accessible, resilient, and meaningful across borders – both physical and digital.
📸 Pictures: Narva Museum
