64 research outputs found
Discussieartikel: Sciencefictionfans in het historisch museum
No full textFor historical and city museums a refined and dedicated community policy has become a must. Many museums try to establish close relations with the communities they are said to represent, this through means of participation projects, crowd sourcing and inclusivity. Noble as these endeavors may be, in this paper Dorus Hoebink observes that most museums still exercise a rather traditional concept of community, fixated on stable notions of place, ethnicity and religion. In order to cope with the complex structure of modern Western society, he proposes that museums should embrace a more posttraditional, fluid concept of community
The museum as a social performance
No full textThis book investigates the architectural and organisational transformations that Dutch museums have gone through since 1990. In order to ensure that this is done from the viewpoint of the museum visitor, a theoretical framework is used in which architectural interventions, organisational changes and audience experiences are combined. The museum is seen as a social performance; a concept and theory introduced by the American cultural sociologist Jeffrey Alexander.8 This contribution will explain how museums can be researched as social performances and how this theoretical framework will return in the case studies
The museum as a social performance
No full textThis book investigates the architectural and organisational transformations that Dutch museums have gone through since 1990. In order to ensure that this is done from the viewpoint of the museum visitor, a theoretical framework is used in which architectural interventions, organisational changes and audience experiences are combined. The museum is seen as a social performance; a concept and theory introduced by the American cultural sociologist Jeffrey Alexander.8 This contribution will explain how museums can be researched as social performances and how this theoretical framework will return in the case studies
Learning from the transformation of Dutch museums:lessons for the future
No full textOne of the premises of this research is that museums are among the most complex building types in the architectural landscape today. Museum buildings contain a wide variety of functions (conservation, research, exhibition, education, etc.), they symbolise a wide variety of meanings (history, culture, art, community, science etc.), and their functioning is evaluated by a wide variety of stakeholders (the intelligentsia, policy makers, politicians, local visitors, tourists, etc.). As no other, the museum building must represent the complexity and diversity of our society. The study of the recent and current transformations of museum buildings can show both students and professionals what significant current social changes will mean for the field of architecture. This contribution presents the conclusions of the research, visualized in the data sheets containing the analysis of the museums. An answer to the following question will be given: What are the lessons we can learn from this transformation history?</i
Learning from the transformation of Dutch museums:lessons for the future
No full textOne of the premises of this research is that museums are among the most complex building types in the architectural landscape today. Museum buildings contain a wide variety of functions (conservation, research, exhibition, education, etc.), they symbolise a wide variety of meanings (history, culture, art, community, science etc.), and their functioning is evaluated by a wide variety of stakeholders (the intelligentsia, policy makers, politicians, local visitors, tourists, etc.). As no other, the museum building must represent the complexity and diversity of our society. The study of the recent and current transformations of museum buildings can show both students and professionals what significant current social changes will mean for the field of architecture. This contribution presents the conclusions of the research, visualized in the data sheets containing the analysis of the museums. An answer to the following question will be given: What are the lessons we can learn from this transformation history?</i
Closereading van 'Een monument vol verhalen'
Get PDFThere are many different definitions and interpretations of the concept of authenticity, but the authenticity discourse appears to be unsuitable as an interpretation framework for the exhibition 'A monument full of stories' in Rotterdam Laurenskerk. Not only was the greater part of the church itself newly constructed in the old style after the bombing in 1940, but the exhibition, too, was made with new materials and modern media. The theory of performativeness, however, does offer a good alternative to analyse the functioning and the effects of this exhibition. According to this theory a difference is made between constative and performative statements. Constative statements ascertain something, performative statements see to it that something happens. When applied to exhibitions, this implies that a constative presentation especially aims at conveying the truth of the object presented. This entails a certain reserve, both in the form of the presentation and in the information supplied on it.
Performative presentations, on the other hand, are not aimed at truths, but at experiences. It is not a question of one true story, but of various perspectives, stories, types of expertise. It is not the objects that are focused on, but the story told with the aid of objects - stage properties. A constative exhibition is characterized by material authenticity, a performative one by a narrative authenticity. Thus the distance between expert and visitor, between space, object and information is bridged. The role of the audio guide in Laurenskerk is typical for the performative character of the exhibition. There is no omniscient narrator, but there are various narrators around one theme, the listener is part of an unfinished, incomplete conversation on this theme. Information is alternated with music and personal stories; there are also many things that the visitor himself can do, grip, touch. Information, education and evocation change places. The past is not so much reproduced as performed, in a dramatic, cinematic way. Monumental churches rarely excel in the presentation of their heritage. Financial investment in an optimal presentation of heritage is often too expensive, or weighing the pros and cons of the religious interests of the churchgoers against the tourist interests of the visitors is decided in favour of the church community.
In the exhibition 'A monument full of stories' the tension between the religious and the secular is never absent, incorporated in the larger narrative of Laurenskerk itself, which survived the Second World War severely harmed. It is not an exhibition in a church, but the church itself has turned into an exhibition. In an adventurous way history and the meaning of Laurenskerk are revealed, taking advantage of contemporary visual culture and media culture. Although the greater part of the churches have become cultural heritage, even nowadays religion is still alive and determines society. The border between where secular life starts and where the religious ends, is not easy to draw, and should be discussed. That is what this exhibition has achieved, in a performative sense
The process of industrial heritage reuse as a future-making practice
No full textThis thesis examines the reuse of industrial heritage and its implications for future development,
focusing on the case of Olivetti industrial heritage in Ivrea, Italy. The research adopts a mixedmethod
approach, combining semi-structured interviews with 11 key stakeholders and ethnographic
fieldwork. By exploring the synergies between values and the physical industrial spaces, this study
seeks to explore the narratives about the future of Ivrea's industrial heritage. The findings reveal
that tourism and its potential to generate economic advantages for the area play a significant role in
shaping these narratives. However, the study also shows that, beyond the economic benefits, the
actors involved in the reuse process draw inspiration from the intangible values of Olivetti's
company. They recognise the potential of these values to enhance community well-being and
contribute to the long-term development of the town. This study sheds light on the significance of
considering both tangible and intangible aspects when designing policies for industrial heritage
reuse. Moreover, this research contributes to the existing literature on industrial heritage reuse by
examining the process as it unfolds. It goes beyond the mere analysis of issues and successes of
industrial heritage reuse to investigate the ongoing making of the process. By doing so, it can
provide valuable insights and helpful recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders involved
in similar projects. Overall, this thesis presents a comprehensive analysis of the reuse of Olivetti
industrial heritage in Ivrea. It underscores the importance of understanding the multiple values
associated with industrial heritage and their role in shaping future narratives. The findings can
contribute to developing effective policies that harness the synergies between physical
environments and people reusing them
Performing inclusivity in Dungeons and Dragons actual plays
No full textThis research examines the way in which players in Dungeons and Dragons actual plays
perform inclusivity for their audience. Throughout its history, D&D has been shaped and
dominated by white heterosexual male perspectives, as has the entire fantasy genre. Recently,
more and more critics have been calling for changes in the game’s design, claiming that the
game is ingrained with social injustices against people of color, queer people and people with
disabilities. The current rise in popularity of D&D was accompanied by the rise of actual
plays, in which D&D game sessions are streamed online. Some actual plays actively use their
platform to advocate for a more inclusive community. This research focuses specifically on
actual play groups that are diverse in terms of race, gender identity, sexual identity and
disabilities. Through the use of a digital ethnography, this research combines observations of
six different actual plays to form an understanding of how inclusivity is performed through
the players’ behavior, decisions and actions. The analysis shows a top-level differentiation
between performance in the primary world (real world) and the secondary world (imaginary
world). Performance of inclusivity in the primary world involves explicit statements that
explain individual stances towards contemporary topics of inclusivity, as well as explicit
explanations for changing parts of the game. Performance of inclusivity in the secondary
world involves the behavior of roleplayed characters, as well as the worldbuilding, which is
regularly shifted to highlight marginalized identities in its stories. Additionally, the actual
plays and, in specific, the Dungeons Master play an educational role towards their audience in
communicating ways to make any game of D&D more inclusive to marginalized identities
War Belongs in a Museum
No full textThis thesis explores how visitors to World War II museums in the Netherlands experience and interact with the cultural memory of World War II. This research applies Jan Assmann's concept of cultural memory to explore the experience of visitors to World War II museums. Today, 80 years after the war has ended, there are ever fewer people alive who can tell firsthand stories of World War II. This makes examining how communicative memory is shifting into cultural memory more relevant than ever. The research took place at three different World War II museums in the Netherlands. At these locations, a total of 22 rounds of intervening participant observation were done. This meant conducting a mix of observations and discussions with the participants while walking through the museum. From these museum visits, several themes came up in relation to the visitor experience and the concept of cultural memory. At first, it became clear for what reasons people visited the museums. The next theme showed in what ways the museum was experienced, mostly unrelated to the concept of cultural memory. Visitors experience the museum both through emotions and through learning, with historical empathy and historical Verstehung as the deepest form of understanding. After this, the museum was explained as a space of relatability. The experience in a museum is highly dependent on what a visitor can relate to. This can occur in a multitude of ways, but it was found to be a significant aspect of the experience. Lastly, the findings suggest that personal stories, meaning communicative memory, are still an important part of the experience of cultural memory. Even while most of the visitors were not alive during the war, personal connections were an overarching aspect of the experience for most visitors. This challenges the understanding of the concept of cultural memory, because the binary, successive approach to communicative and cultural memory might be more fluid than proposed in the literature
Chinese Design Through the Gaze of Architectural Digest
No full textChinese Design has a long-lasting relationship with the West, and it was particularly popular in the 17th and 18th century Europe. Chinoiserie is a European style born from this popularity, and Chinese Design has many forms including pre-modern, contemporary, and imitation, next to chinoiserie. The Literature review has shown that the varied forms of Chinese Design are present in the interiors of the elite, but the majority of the academic literature is written from an art history perspective and mostly focuses on the 16th till early 20th century. Moreover, the topics of Chinese Design and elite interiors, is barely present in the cultural sociology field. Thus, this study conducted a longitudinal content analysis with a data sample from Architectural Digest, an interior decorating magazine, containing 5 ads and 66 articles that range from 1927 till 2024. The aim was to discover if there were trends visible in the writing of Chinese Design from a Western perspective, and to analyze if other non-design topics are related to Chinese Design within interiors. This study analyzed the data from a consumption sociology vantage, which became the main lens, and which showcased four main perspectives on consumption: enjoyment, spending, identity and education. In addition, this study also included a global cultural taste and cosmopolitanism review. Last, Orientalism and Exoticism were also considered. The findings show that pre-modern Chinese Design is often admired among the elite and that collecting as a hobby is often the case for these Chinese Design admirers. Furthermore, Chinese Design is still present in the interiors of the elite, and these elites are often presented as cosmopolitans. Politics were omnipresent in the findings, but they were directed to societies and economies that differed from capitalism. Chinese Design was highly respected, in fact, this study considers to have found a form of an interior design canon for the elite, in which Chinese Design and Western Design are equally important
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