A bunch of school kids in the Valley of Queens, Egypt. If all school kids at my museum came with that look on their face, I think I would be willing to work there for free….
Museums
Occasional Museum Picture #8
Normally you would be looking at all the interesting objects that are inside the museum. And the Musée d’Orsay in Paris for sure has some impressive objects to look at. However, the look outside from within what is now a museum, but used to be a railway station, through the glass-face of a gigantic clock towards the Sacré Coeur, is no less fascinating.
Day for Detroit
Today is ”Day for Detroit”: a number of art blogs will write about art in Detroit, and especially the ongoing threats to the “Detroit Institute of Art”.
I am not exactly an art blogger, but since I have veneration for Detroit, I think I would make a short contribution anyway.
Occasional Museum Picture #7
The Fabricca della Ruota used to be a textile mill, situated deep into a remote north Italian valley. Today, it’s an industrial museum – quite small, but very beautiful, in its exterior as well as in its exhibitions. The peculiarities of industrial work life – such as time discipline – are depicted through a spectacular, … Read more
Kulturpolitik som stoleleg
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Occasional Museum Picture #6
According to sociologists, such as Anthony Giddens and others, modernity is characterized by its reflexivity. Here is a self-reflexive museum for you: the Cité de Sciences in Parc de la Villette, Paris, reflecting itself in the silver dome of its own IMAX movie theatre. To be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed by the science … Read more
The museum as Public Domain
Today I attended the conference ”Sharing is caring – digital cultural heritage for all”. Lots of interesting presentations and discussions about how museums can – and should – use digital media, to make their collections more accessible, and to turn their audience into participants.
To do this we of course have to overcome technical obstacles. But probably even more organizational and even mental obstacles. And then there are all the issues raised by copyright and digital rights management. During the discussions of concepts such as Creative Commons and Public Domain, I got a sense of déjà vu. Suddenly it occurred to me: the museum as institution is inherently Public Domain.
Occasional Museum Picture #5
Vaserely was born in Hungary, but lived most of his life in France, so it’s not surprising that his museum is to be found in Aix-en-Provence. Even if you’re not into op-art – which I’m not particularly – the building and the artwork form a fascinating gesamtkunstwerk. I like this particular picture, because of the … Read more
Occasional Museum Picture #4
This is the sort of museum, which most museum professionals scorn. What you see in the picture are probably the only real objects in the Museum of the partisans in Dongo, Italy – the rest are faded photo copies. The texts are in Italian only, and there is dust in every corner. By its subject, … Read more
Occasional Museum Picture #3
What’s in a life? Well, medicine, for instance. Like in this fascinating installation by Pharmacopoeia in British Museum. It shows the number of pills, swallowed through lifetime, by too different persons – supplemented by pictures, letters and other reminiscences of their lives. A moving and thought-provoking cross-over between art and ethnography.