Abstract
As algorithmic systems increasingly govern aesthetic visibility in cultural production, understanding their curatorial power becomes critical to aesthetic democracy. While existing scholarship examines algorithmic culture and cultural industries separately, the intersection remains undertheorized. The study proposes “cultural algorithmic industries” as a synthesized framework— ecosystems where algorithms automate cultural production, aesthetic judgment, and distribution as industrialized, data-driven processes that preset the aesthetic frameworks within which AI-generated content is experienced. This research asks: “How do algorithmic systems curate aesthetic visibility, and can participatory curation foster aesthetic democracy in the AI era?” By employing mixed methods research—participatory workshops (“Paper Sculpture Workshop—Touching the Algorithm”), curator interviews (including curatorial reflections from Nordlandsmuseet in Norway on institutional AI guidelines), and platform analysis—the study investigates the material and institutional dimensions of algorithmic governance. Key findings reveal an “algorithmic aesthetic loop”, referring to preference learning mechanisms that invisibly convert subjective responses into standardized data. These feed into model retraining cycles, institutionalizing engagement metrics as aesthetic principles. The workshop data demonstrates how tactile translation of AI images into handcrafted sculptures enables participants to materialize and critically interrogate algorithmic feeling, exposing the tension between computational efficiency and curatorial intentionality. This study argues that reclaiming aesthetic agency in museum practices requires transparent algorithmic curation processes and participatory practices that challenge platformed erosion of individual aesthetic choice, offering pathways toward more democratic cultural production.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2026 Special Focus—The Future of Museum Narratives
KEYWORDS
ALGORITHMIC CURATION, AESTHETICS DEMOCRACY, CULTURAL ALGORITHMIC INDUSTRIES, CRITICAL MUSEUM PRACTICE
