MUSEUMS, HERITAGE SITES AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION INTRODUCTION

Transcription

1 MUSEUMS, HERITAGE SITES AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION INTRODUCTION Gail Lord, Co-President Lord Cultural Resources Cultural Heritage and Public Participation April Ningbo, China

2 What is CULTURE? An active ongoing human process whereby people transform nature and society, producing meanings

3 Material Culture Transformation of the material environment around us

4 Photo: Tim Bies Y Benjamin Benschneide Physical Culture The activities needed for human health and reproduction

5 Social-Political Culture All the ways that people communicate meaning through cognition

6 Paula Rego, The Dance 1988 Aesthetic Culture Meanings created in objects that are understood and appreciated by our senses and imagination

7 Heritage and museums include all four kinds of culture: 1. Communally owned, valued and preserved 2. Passed from one generation to the other 3. Tangible 4. Intangible Can only be fully understood when people participate.

8 Heritage The combined creations and products of nature and of humans, in their entirety, that make up the environment in which we live in space and time. A possession of a community, and a rich inheritance that may be passed on, which invites our recognition and our participation. 1982, ICOMOS Canada (Quebec) Charter for the Preservation of Quebec s heritage (Deschambault Declaration)

9 Museum Institutions created in the public interest. They engage their visitors, foster deeper understanding and promote the enjoyment and sharing of authentic cultural and natural heritage. Museums acquire, preserve, research, interpret and exhibit the tangible and intangible evidence of society and nature. As educational institutions, museums provide a physical forum for critical inquiry and investigation. Canadian Museum Association based on ICOM definition

10 Material Heritage Thompson ship model collection, Art Gallery of Ontario

11 Physical Heritage The Olympic Museum

12 Social and political heritage The Apartheid Museum The city of Dubrovnik

13 Social and political heritage The Apartheid Museum The city of Dubrovnik

14 Aesthetic Heritage The Boboli Gardens, Florence, Italy

15 Aesthetic Heritage The water town of Wuzhen

16 Participation Increases: Understanding Engagement Enjoyment Ability Creativity The number and breadth of visitors

17 Cultural Change Demands Participation: Education A Globally Competitive Workforce The Growth of Cities Cultural Tourism The Communications Transformation Identity and Language Universal Access Focus on Children

18 Education Our lives have been marked by the growth of the knowledge economy New Skills, New Residents Participation and Creation as an alternative to Consumption

19 Increased Education Levels Increasing number of Chinese university graduates: ,270, ,990, ,800, ,600, ,300,000

20 A Competitive Workforce In the Past Physical strength Follow orders Organized Some problem solving Memorization Basic communication OBSERVE Today Intellectual strength Lead Individualistic All problem solving Improvisation Great communication PARTICIPATE!

21 Dominance of Cities Cities represent half of the world s population, and 80% of global GDP Cities represent nearly 53% of china s population. China has 6 cities with populations of 10 million or more.

22 Cultural Tourism Consumer Experience

23 Cultural Tourism Observer Experience The Lion Grove Garden

24 Cultural Tourism Participation Experience

25 Cultural Tourism Participation, social space

26 Technology Transformation Participation from Consumers to Active learners

27 Technology Transformation Participation as a group S.A.N. Science Art and New Technology in Florence

28 Identity Language and ways of life

29 Accessibility Participation

30 Focus on Children Art Participation

31 Focus on Children Nature Participation

32 Focus on Children Experimentation

33 Public Participation in the 6 functions of museums and heritage sites 1. Institutional Planning 6. Research

34 Institutional Development Participation by community leads to enhanced support, economic development

35 Preservation and participation

36 Participation in Collections In the Past Tangible heritage Closed storage Today Tangible & Intangible Accessible Storage

37 Participate in Collections Tangible Heritage Tangible & Intangible Heritage

38 Collection Participation Accessible Storage

39 Participation in Program & Activities In the Past Inward looking Sole authority Today Outward looking Multiple voices

40 Participation in Programs & Activities Authoritative Multiple Voices The Scapes Project iphone App at the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts, United States

41 Participation: Programs and Activities Fort York Dinner kitchen offers open-hearth and bake-oven cooking classes, hands-on educational programs with staff and volunteers. Historic kitchen garden growing period plants Partnerships with artists to use the Fort as a site for art installations

42 Participation in exhibitions Contemporary Art in Heritage Sites Trust New Art contemporary art installations at selected National Trust historic properties aims to involve contemporary art fans with heritage sites University of Kent fine art degree show held at Chatham Historic Dockyards featuring contemporary art installations inspired by the historic site

43 Participation Exhibitions

44 Participation: Bannockburn Battlefield Visitor Centre, Scotland State of the art 270 degree, 3D immersive battle experience and show 30min strategy role-play game where visitors play against each other to determine the outcome of the battle 6 volunteers had faces laser scanned and transformed into 14th century characters; motion capture technologies showcase complex medieval battle movements

45 Participation in exhibitions Volunteers and Visitors as Curators Involves Bristol people and communities in: helping to decide what to preserve and exhibit producing films, stories, activities and displays volunteering and work placement opportunities Multimedia apps help visitors explore Bristol streets and neighbourhoods using elements from the collection

46 Participation Research

47 The Participation Continuum Observers may not participate themselves but can enjoy the participation of others. They may appreciate a participatory experience if they come across it, if what has been produced by others is presented in an attractive and engaging way. Followers have more specific intent than observers. They seek out specific experiences within an exhibition and will follow or become a member of a group in order to access content that interests them. Likers/Sharers are confident or interested enough to publicly mark their personal views on an experience and share these with others. This early stage of participation requires little in the way of commitment and is an easy and accessible way to encourage engagement. Collectors: More focused than sharers, collectors gather content for their own use later. They may or may not share the results of such a project. Commentators: More articulate than likers, they react to what others have produced with their own commentary, appreciation, or criticism. Creators are the most confident, engaged, and motivated participators. They are eager to create themselves whether on the spot or over a longer period of time, and to share what they have produced within the exhibition.

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