The thing about museums : objects and experience, representation and contestation : essays in honour of professor Susan M. Pearce

__The Things about Museums__ constitutes a unique, highly diverse collection of essays unprecedented in existing books in either museum and heritage studies or material culture studies. Taking varied perspectives and presenting a range of case studies, the chapters all address objects in the context of museums, galleries and/or the heritage sector more broadly. Specifically, the book deals with how objects are constructed in museums, the ways in which visitors may directly experience those objects, how objects are utilised within particular representational strategies and forms, and the challenges and opportunities presented by using objects to communicate difficult and contested matters. Topics and approaches examined in the book are diverse, but include the objectification of natural history specimens and museum registers; materiality, immateriality, transience and absence; subject/object boundaries; sensory, phenomenological perspectives; the museumisation of objects and collections; and the dangers inherent in assuming that objects, interpretation and heritage are ‘good’ for us. Preface / Sandra Dudley -- 1. Introduction: Museums And Things / Sandra Dudley -- Part I: Objects And Their Creation In The Museum. Introduction / Jennifer Walklate -- 2. Romancing The Stones: Earth Science Objects As Material Culture / Hannah-lee Chalk -- 3. What Do We Know About What We Know? The Museum 'register' As Museum Object / Geoffrey N. Swinney -- 4. Emblematic Museum Objects Of National Significance: In Search Of Their Multiple Meanings And Values / Marlen Mouliou And Despina Kalessopoulou -- 5. Musealization Processes In The Realm Of Art / Maria Lucia De Niemeyer Matheus Loureiro -- 6. Photography - Museum: On Posing, Imageness, And The Punctum / Klaus Wehner -- Part Ii: Visitors' Engagements With Museum Objects. Introduction / Jennifer Binnie -- 7. Things And Theories: The Unstable Presence Of Exhibited Objects / Chris Dorsett --^ 8. Inexperienced Museum Visitors And How They Negotiate Contemporary Art. A Comparative Study Of Two Visitor-driven Visual Art Presentations / Marijke Van Eeckhaut -- 9. Illuminating Narratives: Period Rooms And Tableaux Vivants / Michael Katzberg -- 10. Magic Objects/modern Objects: Heroes' House Museums / Linda Young -- 11. 'do Not Touch' - A Discussion On The Problems Of A Limited Sensory Experience With Objects In A Gallery Or Museum Context / Helen Saunderson -- 12. Living Objects: A Theory Of Museological Objecthood / Wing Yan Vivian Ting -- 13. The Poetic Triangle Of Objects, People And Writing Creatively: Using Museum Collections To Inspire Linguistic Creativity And Poetic Understanding / Nikki Clayton And Mark Goodwin -- 14. Location And Intervention: Visual Practice Enabling A Synchronic View Of Artefacts And Sites / Shirley Chubb -- Part Iii: The Uses Of Objects In Museum Representations. Introduction / Amy Jane Barnes --^ 15. Spectacle And Archive In Two Contemporary Art Museums In Spain / Roger Sansi -- 16. Playing Dress-up: Inhabiting Imagined Spaces Through Museum Objects / Julia Petrov -- 17. Material Object And Immaterial Collector: Is There Room For The Donor-collector Discourse In The Museal Space? / Caroline Bergeron -- 18. Exhibiting Absence In The Museum / Helen Rees Leahy -- 19. Arctic 'relics': The Construction Of History, Memory And Narratives At The National Maritime Museum / Claire Warrior -- Part Iv: Objects And Difficult Subjects Introduction / Julia Petrov -- 20. Challenged Pasts And The Museum: The Case Of Ghanaian Kente / Malika Kraamer -- 21. Standardizing Difference: The Materiality Of Ethnic Minorities In The Museums Of The Peoples' Republic Of China / Marzia Varutti -- 22. Displaying The Communist Other: Perspectives On The Exhibition And Interpretation Of Communist Visual Culture / Amy Jane Barnes --^ 23. Reconsidering Images: Using The Farm Security Administration Photographs As Objects In History Exhibitions / Meighen Katz -- 24. (im)material Practices In Museums / Alice Semedo -- 25. Heritage As Pharmakon And The Muses As Deconstruction: - Problematising Curative Museologies And Heritage Healing / Beverley Butler -- Afterword: A Conversation With Sue Pearce Amy Jane Barnes And Jennifer Walklate. Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. Introduction: Museums And Things / Sandra Dudley -- Pt. I Objects And Their Creation In The Museum -- Introduction / Jennifer Walklate -- 2. Romancing The Stones: Earth Science Objects As Material Culture / Hannah-lee Chalk -- 3. What Do We Know About What We Know? The Museum `register' As Museum Object / Geoffrey N. Swinney -- 4. Emblematic Museum Objects Of National Significance: In Search Of Their Multiple Meanings And Values / Despina Kalessopoulou -- 5. Musealisation Processes In The Realm Of Art / Maria Lucia De Niemeyer Matheus Loureiro -- 6. Photography -- Museum: On Posing, Imageness And The Punctum / Klaus Wehner -- Pt. Ii Visitors' Engagements With Museum Objects -- Introduction / Jennifer Binnie -- 7. Things And Theories: The Unstable Presence Of Exhibited Objects / Chris Dorsett -- 8. Inexperienced Museum Visitors And How They Negotiate Contemporary Art: A Comparative Study Of Two Visitor-driven Visual Art Presentations / Marijke Van Eeckhaut -- 9. Illuminating Narratives: Period Rooms And Tableaux Vivants / Michael Katzherg -- 10. Magic Objects/modern Objects: Heroes' House Museums / Linda Young -- 11. `do Not Touch': A Discussion On The Problems Of A Limited Sensory Experience With Objects In A Gallery Or Museum Context / Helen Saunderson -- 12. Living Objects: A Theory Of Museological Objecthood / Wing Yan Vivian Ting -- 13. Poetic Triangle Of Objects, People And Writing Creatively: Using Museum Collections To Inspire Linguistic Creativity And Poetic Understanding / Mark Goodwin -- 14. Location And Intervention: Visual Practice Enabling A Synchronic View Of Artefacts And Sites / Shirley Chubb -- Pt. Iii Uses Of Objects In Museum, Representations -- Introduction / Amy Jane Barnes -- 15. Spectacle And Archive In Two Contemporary Art Museums In Spain / Roger Sansi -- 16. Playing Dress-up: Inhabiting Imagined Spaces Through Museum Objects / Julia Petrov -- 17. Material Object And Immaterial Collector: Is There Room For The Collector-donor Discourse In The Museal Space? / Caroline Bergeron -- 18. Exhibiting Absence In The Museum / Helen Rees Leahy -- 19. Arctic `relics': The Construction Of History, Memory And Narratives At The National Maritime Museum / Claire Warrior -- Pt. Iv Objects And Difficult Subjects -- Introduction / Julia Petrov -- 20. Challenged Pasts And The Museum: The Case Of Ghanaian Kente / Malika Kraamer -- 21. Standardising Difference: The Materiality Of Ethnic Minorities In The Museums Of The People's Republic Of China / Marzia Varutti -- 22. Displaying The Communist Other: Perspectives On The Exhibition And Interpretation Of Communist Visual Culture / Amy Jane Barnes -- 23. Reconsidering Images: Using The Farm Security Administration Photographs As Objects In History Exhibitions / Meighen S. Katz -- 24. (im)material Practices In Museums / Alice Semedo -- 25. Heritage As Pharmakon And The Muses As Deconstruction: Problematising Curative Museologies And Heritage Healing / Beverley Butler. Edited By Sandra Dudley ... [et Al.]. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The Thing about Museums Objects and Experience, Representation and Contestation Copyright Contents List of illustrations List of contributors Preface 1 Introduction: museums and things PART I Objects and their creation in the museum Introduction 2 Romancing the stones: earth science objects as material culture 3 What do we know about what we know? The museum ‘register’ as museum object 4 Emblematic museum objects of national significance: in search of their multiple meanings and values 5 Musealisation processes in the realm of art 6 Photography – museum: on posing, imageness and the punctum PART II Visitors’ engagements with museum objects Introduction 7 Things and theories: the unstable presence of exhibited objects 8 Inexperienced museum visitors and how they negotiate contemporary art: a comparative study of two visitor-driven visual art presentations 9 Illuminating narratives: period rooms and tableaux vivants 10 Magic objects/modern objects: heroes’ house museums 11 ‘Do not touch’: a discussion on the problems of a limited sensory experience with objects in a gallery or museum context 12 Living objects: a theory of museological objecthood 13 The poetic triangle of objects, people and writing creatively: using museum collections to inspire linguistic creativity and poetic understanding 14 Location and intervention: visual practice enabling a synchronic view of artefacts and sites PART III The uses of objects in museum representations Introduction 15 Spectacle and archive in two contemporary art museums in Spain 16 Playing dress-up: inhabiting imagined spaces through museum objects 17 Material object and immaterial collector: is there room for the collector-donor discourse in the museal space? 18 Exhibiting absence in the museum 19 Arctic ‘relics’: the construction of history, memory and narratives at the National Maritime Museum PART IV Objects and difficult subjects Introduction 20 Challenged pasts and the museum: the case of Ghanaian kente 21 Standardising difference: the materiality of ethnic minorities in the museums of the People’s Republic of China 22 Displaying the Communist Other: perspectives on the exhibition and interpretation of Communist visual culture 23 Reconsidering images: using the Farm Security Administration photographs as objects in history exhibitions 24 (Im)material practices in museums 25 Heritage as pharmakon and the Muses as deconstruction: problematising curative museologies and heritage healing Afterword: a conversation with Sue Pearce Index This title constitutes a diverse collection of essays unprecedented in existing books in either museum and heritage studies or material culture studies. Taking varied perspectives and presenting a range of case studies, the chapters all address objects in the context of museums, galleries and/or the heritage sector. The Things about Museums constitutes a unique, highly diverse collection of essays unprecedented in existing books in either museum and heritage studies or material culture studies. Taking varied perspectives and presenting a range of case studies, the chapters all address objects in the context of museums, galleries and/or the heritage sector more broadly. Specifically, the book deals with how objects are constructed in museums, the ways in which visitors may directly experience those objects, how objects are utilised within particular representational strategies and forms, and the challenges and opportunities presented by using objects to communicate difficult and contested matters. Topics and approaches examined in the book are diverse, but include the objectification of natural history specimens and museum registers; materiality, immateriality, transience and absence; subject/object boundaries; sensory, phenomenological perspectives; the museumisation of objects and collections; and the dangers inherent in assuming that objects, interpretation and heritage are good for us "The Things about Museums constitutes a unique, highly diverse collection of essays unprecedented in existing books in either museum and heritage studies or material culture studies. Taking varied perspectives and presenting a range of case studies, the chapters all address objects in the context of museums, galleries and/or the heritage sector more broadly. Specifically, the book deals with how objects are constructed in museums, the ways in which visitors may directly experience those objects, how objects are utilised within particular representational strategies and forms, and the challenges and opportunities presented by using objects to communicate difficult and contested matters. Topics and approaches examined in the book are diverse, but include the objectification of natural history specimens and museum registers; materiality, immateriality, transience and absence; subject/object boundaries; sensory, phenomenological perspectives; the museumisation of objects and collections; and the dangers inherent in assuming that objects, interpretation and heritage are 'good' for us"-- Back cover The Thing about Museums constitutes a unique, highly diverse collection of essays unprecedented in existing books in either museum and heritage studies or mate- rial culture studies. Taking varied perspectives and presenting a range of case studies, the chapters all address objects in the context of museums, galleries and/ or the heritage sector more broadly. Specifically, the book deals with how objects are constructed in museums, the ways in which visitors may directly experience those objects, how objects are utilised within particular representational strategies and forms, and the challenges and opportunities presented by using objects to communicate difficult and contested matters. Topics and approaches examined in the book are diverse, but include the objectification of natural history specimens and museum registers; materiality, immateriality, transience and absence; subject/ object boundaries; sensory, phenomenological perspectives; the museumisation of objects and collections; and the dangers inherent in assuming that objects, interpretation and heritage are ‘good’ for us.