From the warehouse to the exhibition hall, from the collection of objects to the museum knowledge, let the public more integrate into the development of the museum, the museum can become an indispensable part of social life
When people discuss the power of museums, they often favor digital applications. If we broaden our horizons further, we will find that almost all new technologies can be incorporated into the museum’s exhibition or educational model to promote its renewal and upgrading.
Technological change has indeed answered the question of “how to release the power of museums more effectively”, however, how to have this unique and powerful power is also a topic that museum construction needs to face and solve. All technological changes and improvements are the “0” after the “1”, and how to become a truly qualified social public institution is the “1” before all the “0”.
The free opening policy of public museums implemented since 2008 is the beginning of China’s museums to the public, so that more audiences can return to the museum, and the museum may become an “urban living room”. Taking this as a starting point, museums should “return” more space to the public and bring them closer to the public. Happily, museums of different regions and nature have begun to experiment like this.
Museums are connected to current life, not only in specific exhibitions, but also in the collections in the warehouse. In recent years, many museums have consciously expanded their collections, from Olympic torches to anti-epidemic equipment, these contemporary objects that represent the spirit of the times have entered the museum’s warehouses. Can the museum warehouse carry the daily memories of ordinary people? The answer is yes. 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Hangzhou Museum, and the Hangzhou Museum launched the “Million Collections” program to collect collections that have witnessed the changes in Hangzhou’s city and life since 1912. With the positive response of Hangzhou citizens, the museum collected nearly 4,000 pieces of photos, letters, bills, books, stamps, utensils and other items in only half a year.
Some museums “return” their exhibition halls to the public. In recent years, many exhibitions, under the premise of ensuring the safety of the exhibits, have narrowed the distance between the museum and the public by displaying palpable bronze replicas, stone tool mold reliefs or specimen storage cabinets with perfect protection settings.
Successful museum exhibitions should not be solo soloists, but empathetic choruses. In 2021, Luoyang Museum held “Shangluo: New Local History Series Exhibition”, which not only displays ancient cultural relics such as pottery figurines and prayer buildings unearthed in Luoyang, but also moves the familiar local famous objects of Luoyang into the museum. The tractors produced by Luoyang No. 1 Tractor Factory once played an important role in the history of construction in New China. This special exhibition allows the model of the tractor to be displayed in a display case like other ancient artifacts, connecting people’s memories of the past. The double-hook calligraphy work “Comfort Nest” in the special exhibition is based on the apartment purchased by Sima Guang and others for Shao Yong in Luoyang, showing the good expectations of the ancients for living in Luoyang. The curatorial team tried to hand over this work to the audience, inviting them to color, deform and create more secondary creations, connecting the Northern Song Dynasty theorist Shao Yong’s admiration for Luoyang with the present. Luoyang Museum is not the first time to launch social education activities to enhance public participation, the previous launch of the “Lobo Coloring” online mini-game, so that many participants in the process of coloring the cultural relics in the museum, a new understanding of history, culture and craft traditions.
From the warehouse to the exhibition hall, from the collection of objects to the museum knowledge, let the public more integrate into the development of the museum, the museum can become an indispensable part of social life.
(The author is a professor of history, Shanghai University)