The Constituent Museum : Constellations of Knowledge, Politics and Mediation

Beschrijving

Essaybundel in het kader van het programma 'The Uses of Art : The Legacy of 1848 and 1989' (L'Internationale) herdefinieert de rol en het belang van het museum als een gezamenlijk, democratisch project van het publiek, de kunstenaar en museummedewerkers en beschouwt het als een belangrijk onderdeel van de gemeenschap, waar activisme, geschiedenis, visueel en intellectueel gedachtegoed wordt verzameld en bevraagd. - What would happen if museums put relationships at the centre of their operation? This question inspires this publication, which offers a diverse, rigorous and experimental analysis of what is commonly known as education, mediation or interpretation within museum institutions. It takes the visitor not as a passive receiver of predefined content, but as a member of a constituent body, who it facilitates, provokes and inspires. Moving beyond the practice of mediation as such, the publication situates these practices within the social-political (neoliberal) context and the physical and organizational structure. Understanding this change in an integral, interdisciplinary manner is what this publication aspires to. This is explored by placing the museum's constituent, that is the relation museum organization–museum professional–active audience/co-curators–local and political agencies and context, at the centre of the museum organization, their positions in society start to shift.