The dusty museum

Forfattere

  • Inkeri Hakamies University of Helsinki

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5617/nm.6399

Emneord (Nøkkelord):

Finland, dust, practices, museum views, marketing

Sammendrag

Dust is a significant problem for museums – not only from the point
of view of conservation, but also because it has a negative effect on the museum’s
image. In this paper, I analyse the cultural connotations of museum dust: Why is
dust in a museum so appalling, and, consequently, what do people really mean
by the word pair dusty museum? The empirical material of this study consists
of interview and questionnaire material produced as part of a national Finnish
museum history project between 2005 and 2011. In the analysis, museum dust has
been treated as a material element of social practices. Tangible dust is a material
element in many museum practices, but dust can also be a concept used to describe
the wrong kind of museum. Museum dust and dusty museums are both discursive
practices that reflect ideas of what museums should or shouldn’t be.

Forfatterbiografi

Inkeri Hakamies, University of Helsinki

Department of European Ethnology

Doctoral Candidate

Nedlastinger

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