Museums Mobilizing: On #MW2012 and Other Mobile Discussions
It could be(/is probably to do with) the fact that I follow news about mobile tech and social media in museums more than I do, well, anything else pertaining to my career.* But these last few days, I have seen an overwhelming amount of discussions and events related to the topic. I find it really exciting to follow. A few examples below..
1) The Museums Association’s May issue is going to be all about how museums, galleries, and heritage organisations are using mobile technology. They are currently calling for case studies. Check it out! I should really become a member so that I have access to the May edition.
2) Someone posted a link to this MuseumID discussion by leading museum professionals on the benefits and challenges of using social media. Read it here. Kathy Jaller of the Contemporary Jewish Museum says it best:
Such an open field is rare in a Museum context, as is the level of direct interaction with one’s audience. This technology, far from making things cold and automated, humanizes institutions that might otherwise seem impenetrable, and facilitates conversation that is available to the public and to the institution, as opposed to being contained within tour groups, classrooms, or visitors on date night.
Amazing TEDx Vancouver talk by NY Times data artist-in-residence, Jer Thorp @blprnt, about visualizing data and putting it in a human context.
And here I am, contributing to a sharing cascade structure for this video! (Huh? Watch the video and you’ll dig it.)
Jer has been involved in some fascinating projects. This is relevant for museum mobile development, and it made me think how cool it would be to make some sort of visual representation of visitor experiences in museums, based on the data they contribute with their devices (which could actually be available to visitors!).
After undergoing major construction since 2008, the scaffolding is off at the Stedelijk Museumin Amsterdam.
Looking good!
Up till now, the Stedelijk has had some interesting programming during its construction years, promoting itself as a museum without walls. For some serious theory chat on (con)temporary art institutions, including a lecture by Tim Griffin (Artforum International), click here!
And this last photo is just to repeat my few seconds of fame, when my name went up in lights as part of John Baldessari’s project at the Stedelijk in June 2011:
The title of this exhibition says it all! The V&A’sPower of Making celebrates the ornate, refined, and imaginative nature of craftsmanship on a grand scale.
The exhibition explores the role of making & creating in our lives and in the world we have shaped around us.
Over 100 incredible objects have been grouped together based on either their appearance, the makers’ motivations, or the materials and techniques used to create them.
Check out this life-sized crochet bear!
(Crochetdermy Bear, by Shauna Richardson)
The great thing about Power of Making is that there’s no chronological order to the display of objects, nor is there any priority given to the more famous craft-makers. My head is just spinning at the potential for interactives and education activities in this playful kind of exhibition.
So, if you’re in London in the next couple of months, you must go see this!
Exhibition dates: 6 September ‘11 - 2 January ‘12.
It’s been a year since I graduated and became a Master of Art Museum Education at Newcastle University.
The past 12 months have followed with:
1) a series of failed attempts to join the gallery & museum sector in the Netherlands (where I’m currently living), and
2) my eventual employment at a corporate monster of hotel booking madness.
Yes, it’s been a year, and it’s taken a good friend to nudge me in this direction. Why give up career aspirations of inspiring and sharing creativity with others, just because I don’t speak Dutch? Why stop thinking about museums and galleries at all, just because I don’t work in one?
So here I am. With my plan to write about museum & gallery-related topics/news that I personally think bear repetition in this vast, transforming, and ever-confusing space we apparently call the blogosphere…!
Read about the Getty’s Google Goggle project after the jump…
