Abstract

The article analyzes phenomenon of the «principle of curation» in historical and philosophical development. In the modern world, overloaded with large volumes of information, it is not just access to information that becomes important, but the ability to navigate it. Problems of critical reflection, choice, interpretation in the information space are gaining in importance. That is exactly why the use of the principle of curation is proposed to implement these processes. The authors consider history of the emergence of the concepts of «curator» and «curatorship», delineation of the features of curatorial principle and differences in meanings and understanding of the principle of curation. Having considered the history of transformation of these concepts, having analyzed their use in various fields, the authors come to the conclusion that semantic component of the curator changes over time. If initial connotations were limited to the view of the curator as a guardian and caretaker of collections, then in the modern sense curator him/herself is a creative subject. Therefore, the interpretation of works of art essentially depends on the creative activity of the curator and the space that he creates for presentation. Modern practice of curation should be considered as a newly formed field of activity, which is fundamentally different from the forms that preceded it. In the 21st century, the principle of curation is becoming a universal and necessary method of presenting selected and orderly information, which aims to solve the problem. Curators are the ones who work with this flow of information in the era of information overload: they process it, systematize, organize, conceptualize and present it to the public, thus becoming liquidators of the problem of information overload. The article puts forward a hypothesis for further philosophical reflection: the curatorial principle is a necessary component for organizing the presentation space of a cultural archive.