Exhibiting – what? Permanent Exhibition of S/T Museum in Belgrade Some Conceptual Issues Saša Šepec, curator MNT.

Exhibiting – what?Exhibiting – what?Permanent Exhibition of S/T Museum in Belgrade

Some Conceptual Issues

Saša Šepec, curator MNTSaša Šepec, curator MNT

Basics 1Basics 1:: What What’s’s happeninghappening??

Museumobject

Visitor

Museum

Museumobject

Visitor

Museum

Shift of museum interest: from the museum object, witch carries it’s “property” of pedagogical meaning, to the relation between visitor and object.

Museum functions:educational, cultural, social;Fun industry, tourism,consuming leisure time.

ExExaample 1mple 1: How to shift the S-T museum?: How to shift the S-T museum?

The consultancy agency was paid £425,000 to ‘create a new identity’. The consultancy agency was paid £425,000 to ‘create a new identity’. TheThey y refused to look on it as a museum. Their job was “to get people through the refused to look on it as a museum. Their job was “to get people through the doors”.doors”.

Jean-Michel Jarre’s music was piped into exhibition area to help convey a Jean-Michel Jarre’s music was piped into exhibition area to help convey a sense of the dramatic mystery of science.sense of the dramatic mystery of science.

Museum ‘warders’ were officially renamed ‘stewards’; in blazers instead of Museum ‘warders’ were officially renamed ‘stewards’; in blazers instead of their previous rather militaristic uniforms. They were encouraged to chat their previous rather militaristic uniforms. They were encouraged to chat with visitors.with visitors.

Actors were hired to ‘interpret’ displays.Actors were hired to ‘interpret’ displays. A new marketing department.A new marketing department. An advertising campaign.An advertising campaign. The Museum’s first ever television advertisement.The Museum’s first ever television advertisement. Department of Interpretation: Visitor research.Department of Interpretation: Visitor research.

Museum’s newly adopted ‘Mission Statement’ was: ‘To promote the public understanding of science...’… an attempt to provide not just what they [visitors] ‘ought to have’, but what they might ‘want’.

Basics Basics 2: S/T controversies2: S/T controversies

Relationship of Science and Technology:Relationship of Science and Technology: Science is theoretical/objective Science is theoretical/objective uselessuseless knowledge-investigation of knowledge-investigation of

realityreality Technology is theoretical/engineering apply-construction of this Technology is theoretical/engineering apply-construction of this

knowledge in order to produce knowledge in order to produce usefuluseful objects. objects.

Science is experimental practice: Technology and measurement.

Price of S-T: economy, politics, society.

Science and Technology are culturally “neutral”; There is only “Western” S-T.

Advancement of S-T; “progress”?

Political/economic “power” of S-T?

Western “cultural imperialism” of S-T?

Basics Basics 3: Becoming of S-T heritage3: Becoming of S-T heritage

Scientific-technological (S-T) heritage: Scientific-technological (S-T) heritage: something we have, when science / technology / something we have, when science / technology / industry industry entersenters the Museum. the Museum.

Two steps of this entering:

1. Pulling out the object fromit’s “natural” environment

2. Inserting this object innew, “artificial” environment

“Wrong way”/ feeling guilty 1:“Recovering” of usefulness;how things work, understanding,keeping it in working condition,in original settings, demonstrations,live presentations, etc.

“Natural” means everyday “Artificial” means cultural

“Wrong way”/ feeling guilty 2:“Concealing” of usefulness;forcing the attractivenessand design, visitor’s experience, interpretation, etc.

The question of authenticity

Example 2: The role of S-T museumsExample 2: The role of S-T museums

“The difference can be characterized with reference to the broader new ethos in public service as neatly summed up in a catch-phrase of the 1980s, ‘the customer is always right’. Museums, while not exactly operating on the principle that customers were always wrong, had tended to be run within a more paternalistic ethos. In many cases, particularly in museums such as the Science Museum with a more explicitly educative role (as opposed, say, to art museums where social distinction is more central), the public was conceptualized as a child which needed educating and bringing up properly.”

Museums actually never had simply an educative role; it was more scientific (only ten or so years ago, Museum of Natural History (London) stopped collecting all the living species (insects)).

In contemporary education a shifting from scientific paradigm is under way;S-T museums are sensitive to this!

ExExaample mple 3: Two models of p3: Two models of permanent exhibition

DeutschesDeutschesMuseumMuseum

Aerospace Agriculture Altamira Cave, reproduction of a Spanish cave with stone-age paintings Amateur Radio Astronautics Astronomy Bridge Building Ceramics Chemistry Chronometry Computers Digital Imaging Electrical Power Energy Technology Environment Geodesy Glass History of the Deutsches Museum Hydraulic engineeringMachine Components Machine Tools Marine Navigation Masterpieces Mathematical Gallery Mining (Historical and Modern) Metallurgy Microelectronics Mineral Oil and Natural Gas Music Paper Pharmacy Physics Power Machinery Printing Scientific Instruments Technical Toys Telecommunications Textile Technology Tunnel Construction Weights and Measures

Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)

The Coal MineThe New U-505 ExperienceMcCormick TribuneTake FlightFairy CastleThe Great Train StoryThe Transportation ZonePioneer ZephyrU.S. NavyF-35 Lightning IIGenetics: Decoding LifeToyMaker 3000Fab Lab MSIThe Apollo 8 spacecraftOmniMax theaterMercury Atlas 7 spacecraftA life-size mockup of a space shuttleThe human heartYesterday's Mainstreet

Everything,systematically exposed

Anything attractive,No systematic

Global – NationalGlobal – National

SerbianSerbianby nationality

CroatianCroatianby place of birth

AmericanAmericanby place of work

Global – National: Our example IGlobal – National: Our example I

Collection of computers:T.127.3CER 2021966-71Institute “Mihailo Pupin”, Belgrade

Global – National: Our example IIGlobal – National: Our example II

Collection of computers:T127-32“PACE” 16-231 R1958-9EAI: Electronic Associates Inc., New Jersey

Digression: example IIDigression: example II

Quality Control; Picture taken in 1961

Univ. of TexasSAAB -

Sweden

NASA

Prg. Nuclear - England

Global – National: Our example IIIGlobal – National: Our example III

Collection of computers:T.127.18IBM 360-441965InternationalBusinessMachines,Armonk

On the 29th of October, 1969,the Computer Center of the Mathematical Institute(Faculty of Mathematics,Belgrade) have been officially opened.

Concluding our exampleConcluding our example

Global-nationalalways goestogether!

We 1We 1: The Concept: The ConceptOur specificities:Our specificities: WHAT DO WE HAVE – not much, but we have to stick to it.WHAT DO WE HAVE – not much, but we have to stick to it. HOW MUCH DO WE KNOW – not much, and there are only a few HOW MUCH DO WE KNOW – not much, and there are only a few

of us, so we have to rely upon outer specialists (to some extent).of us, so we have to rely upon outer specialists (to some extent).

MEASUREMENTMEASUREMENTScientific laboratoriesCalculating machines and computersMeasuring devices

PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGYPEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGYTechnology in domestic settingsArchitecture and civil engineeringMedicineMusic, sport, fun

COMMERCECOMMERCEAgricultureTraffic and fireman devicesIndustrial heritageCraftsmanship and manufacture

COMMUNICATIONCOMMUNICATIONPrintingReproductive technologyPhoto and Kino techniquesBureau-techniquesRadio and TV diffusionInformaticsArchiving of information

ENTRANCEENTRANCEAssociation of scientific-technological museums of Serbia

Aleksandar Despic: the founder of the MNTNew museum building

Gallery of Serbian scientistsYoung Serbian inventors

We We 2: The Accents2: The Accents

Basic content is global, and it is filled with what we have; but Basic content is global, and it is filled with what we have; but the accents are nationally specific. They are the accents are nationally specific. They are institutionalized, institutionalized, socialized or historicized aspects of S-Tsocialized or historicized aspects of S-T

MEASUREMENTMEASUREMENTScientific laboratoriesCalculating machines and computersMeasuring devices

PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGYPEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGYTechnology in domestic settingsArchitecture and civil engineeringMedicineMusic, sport, fun

COMMERCECOMMERCEAgricultureTraffic and fireman devicesIndustrial heritageCraftsmanship and manufacture

COMMUNICATIONCOMMUNICATIONPrintingReproductive technologyPhoto and Kino techniquesBureau-techniquesRadio and TV diffusionInformaticsArchiving of information

Serbian meteorologySerbian meteorology Electro-power system of SerbiaElectro-power system of Serbia

Roads of SerbianRoads of Serbianengineeringengineering

Serbian PTT systemSerbian PTT system

What are the accents?– What Japanese tourists can photograph in 15 minutes runaround.

Our social massage is Modernization

To be continued…To be continued…