Is a Museum a Factory? Hito Steyerl, e-flux journal reader 2009, Berlin: Sternberg Press pp.28-42
Museums and art galleries are now the places where societies masses can go to view art, whereas before the majority of the public would view artworks in churches.1 This move is a natural progression from one form of worship to the recent more relevant and politically contemporary form of warship.
Whatever name you call it the experience remains the same.
With the quite recent societal move from religion to science a new venue had to be adopted as contemporary art can not be seen to be referencing the old ways. Our move from less populated rural surroundings to the urban cities has seen a need for common places of artefact worship. Whether religious or not, humans have a need to come together and connect with the greater community.2 As religion is now not as important to many modern societies, art which was once used to connect us to a belief is now used to connect us through similarities of loss in religious belief. Museums and galleries are the places where any one can go and any question can be raised. These venues are all very similar in the kind of ore they try to project and they can leave us a common sense of reflection and confusion.
Art galleries, museum and churches are very similar spectulatory environments, they are there as a nessacerary platform for communities to reflect and connect to one another and just like society they are ever changing to adopt the needs of its patrons.
1, http://www.chandleraz.gov/default.aspx?pageid=482
2, http://www.e-flux.com/journal/view/71
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Museum Politics
James Clifford, “On Collecting Art and Culture” in the predicament of Culture: Twentieth Century
Ethnography, Literature, and Art, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998, pp. 215-251.
This writing is a complex and problematic piece of literature. It highlights the complications that already acquisitioned collections hold in our now more socially considerate societies. But it is more relevant to look at what a museum historically is in consideration to the artefacts held throughout them around the globe.
Museums are places that were set up to celebrate the triumphs that dominant societies had over the places and people they invaded and over took. They are places were mostly stolen treasures are housed and shown to a mainly colonial public that aids in proving a western dominance over non western cultures. This is one very powerful tool used in reference to "Othering", being not of European descent: dark skinned and primitive.1 When Western Cultures arrived in foreign lands they were sometimes gifted objects at the beginning of these conquests but usually the more significant objects were stolen during the hostile overtaking of nations.2 These objects were taken to lessen the power of the other culture which would eventually lead to a weakened sense of heritage and a displacement of the others culture.
When objects are displayed in Museums they are usually only displayed with a brief explanation of where it was found and who donated it. Nothing if anything is mentioned of its traditional use or of the significance to the people and places it comes from. They are taken from the cultural context that it needs to aid in the relevance of these objects and that knowledge can no longer be passed on to younger generations. It is a very calculated and considered plan of attack by Western cultures when invading.3
In every Museum in the developed world precious artefacts are displayed that relate to the over running of one nation by another. A museum is usually a point of reference that travellers will visit when going to a new country. It highlights the power of that nation and glorifies it’s achievements as a society.
To have issues with already acquired collections with in a Museum structure seems a little like going to the doctor with an aneurism and being told to take an aspirin.
1, http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~ulrich/rww03/othering.htm
2, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum
3, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/26/post-invasion-tactics-iraq-war-inquiry
Ethnography, Literature, and Art, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998, pp. 215-251.
This writing is a complex and problematic piece of literature. It highlights the complications that already acquisitioned collections hold in our now more socially considerate societies. But it is more relevant to look at what a museum historically is in consideration to the artefacts held throughout them around the globe.
Museums are places that were set up to celebrate the triumphs that dominant societies had over the places and people they invaded and over took. They are places were mostly stolen treasures are housed and shown to a mainly colonial public that aids in proving a western dominance over non western cultures. This is one very powerful tool used in reference to "Othering", being not of European descent: dark skinned and primitive.1 When Western Cultures arrived in foreign lands they were sometimes gifted objects at the beginning of these conquests but usually the more significant objects were stolen during the hostile overtaking of nations.2 These objects were taken to lessen the power of the other culture which would eventually lead to a weakened sense of heritage and a displacement of the others culture.
When objects are displayed in Museums they are usually only displayed with a brief explanation of where it was found and who donated it. Nothing if anything is mentioned of its traditional use or of the significance to the people and places it comes from. They are taken from the cultural context that it needs to aid in the relevance of these objects and that knowledge can no longer be passed on to younger generations. It is a very calculated and considered plan of attack by Western cultures when invading.3
In every Museum in the developed world precious artefacts are displayed that relate to the over running of one nation by another. A museum is usually a point of reference that travellers will visit when going to a new country. It highlights the power of that nation and glorifies it’s achievements as a society.
To have issues with already acquired collections with in a Museum structure seems a little like going to the doctor with an aneurism and being told to take an aspirin.
1, http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~ulrich/rww03/othering.htm
2, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum
3, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/26/post-invasion-tactics-iraq-war-inquiry
Monday, May 2, 2011
Our Sea of Islands- Epeli Hau’ofa
“Smallness is a state of mind” 1
In this writing many points are highlighted about the relevance of size of the islands that dot the Pacific. In our ever growing world population, land is at a premium and size does appear to matter. It is also important to remember even though our islands sit in a huge ocean our people live on small pieces of land. If a Google search is done of foreign investment in the pacific it is usually looked at in a positive light. This is sold as a necessary step for all Pacific nations to keep up with the economic powers of the developed world.2 Unfortunately too much to soon is a real problem in small nations, we just need to take a look at a few cases throughout the Pacific. In 1995, Niue one of the tiniest island nations was on the verge of selling its rainforest timbers to an overseas Taiwanese consortium. Fortunately this was leaked to the public and the sale was put on hold.3 In Samoa’s capital a huge number of old landmark buildings are being demolished to make room for new bigger buildings “gifted” by the Chinese government as payment for use of coastal waters and fishing quotas.4 Samoa also gets gifted loads of second hand cars from New Zealand, usually these are substandard and can not be sold legally with in New Zealand. This is why the Samoan government recently changed the roads from left hand to right hand drives.5 Nauru was once the envy of the Pacific in the 80’s. It was rich in guano used for fertiliser and it is now practically a barren wasteland left by the British. They took all of it’s top soil and left when the phosphate reserves were exhausted, and now it’s environment has been seriously harmed by mining5.
If smallness is a state of mind could grandness be a state of ego?
Even though our Pacific Ocean is large we do in deed come from small island nations within it. Not saying that the Pacific Islands don’t deserve the trappings of modern life just like any other country but the rate that this is happening is very alarming. Even if smallness is a state of mind it is still relevant to remember that these are very small places and they don’t have the ability to bounce back if major damage is done to their environments.
Our Sea of Islands- Epeli Hau’ofa pg 7
www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/.../s2981802.htm
http://hqweb.unep.org/climateneutral/Portals/0/Country/RelatedDocuments/Niue/Niue_Island_Initial_National_Communication_s16qh.pdf
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=51501
ibid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nauru
In this writing many points are highlighted about the relevance of size of the islands that dot the Pacific. In our ever growing world population, land is at a premium and size does appear to matter. It is also important to remember even though our islands sit in a huge ocean our people live on small pieces of land. If a Google search is done of foreign investment in the pacific it is usually looked at in a positive light. This is sold as a necessary step for all Pacific nations to keep up with the economic powers of the developed world.2 Unfortunately too much to soon is a real problem in small nations, we just need to take a look at a few cases throughout the Pacific. In 1995, Niue one of the tiniest island nations was on the verge of selling its rainforest timbers to an overseas Taiwanese consortium. Fortunately this was leaked to the public and the sale was put on hold.3 In Samoa’s capital a huge number of old landmark buildings are being demolished to make room for new bigger buildings “gifted” by the Chinese government as payment for use of coastal waters and fishing quotas.4 Samoa also gets gifted loads of second hand cars from New Zealand, usually these are substandard and can not be sold legally with in New Zealand. This is why the Samoan government recently changed the roads from left hand to right hand drives.5 Nauru was once the envy of the Pacific in the 80’s. It was rich in guano used for fertiliser and it is now practically a barren wasteland left by the British. They took all of it’s top soil and left when the phosphate reserves were exhausted, and now it’s environment has been seriously harmed by mining5.
If smallness is a state of mind could grandness be a state of ego?
Even though our Pacific Ocean is large we do in deed come from small island nations within it. Not saying that the Pacific Islands don’t deserve the trappings of modern life just like any other country but the rate that this is happening is very alarming. Even if smallness is a state of mind it is still relevant to remember that these are very small places and they don’t have the ability to bounce back if major damage is done to their environments.
Our Sea of Islands- Epeli Hau’ofa pg 7
www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/.../s2981802.htm
http://hqweb.unep.org/climateneutral/Portals/0/Country/RelatedDocuments/Niue/Niue_Island_Initial_National_Communication_s16qh.pdf
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=51501
ibid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nauru
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