The API as Curator

This document discusses how APIs can be used as a curatorial tool for museums to provide digital access to their collections. It describes a fictional scene where a character wireframes an incomplete virtual living room with basic furnishings imported from a children's toy set. Through the window, the character sees crudely rendered trees that might trigger the appearance of an imaginary creature wanting to play. The summary concludes with a brief quote about the painter Philip Ernst omitting a tree from a painting of his garden that spoiled the composition.