Born in October 2005, Mode is dedicated to exploring museums, design and everything in between. The site is run by Lisa, currently working in the areas of Community Cultural Development and Indigenous arts.
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 Photograph by Squared(aka eismcsquare) The best thing about Museum Photo of the Week is that I get to hear about museums that were previously unknown to me! So, thanks to Squared for this week’s photo, the Independence Seaport Museum, at Penn’s landing, Philadelphia. Tags: museum, blog, photos, philadelphia |
Posted by Lisa at 4:12 PM 1 comment[s]
| It was back to work at the museum yesterday, after an inspiring week of talks at the Museums Australia National Conference. The museum felt quiet, after so much jam–packed action, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that we now have a new kitchen, and for the first time, a real sink! But enough about our little museum, here are a few tidbits from the many presentations over the conference week. ‘Who did you meet at the museum today?’ Kate Oakley asked us to think about what our organisations can do to develop ‘better stronger and more diverse social bonds’. Perhaps it is easy for museum people to get a little obsessed with their objects at the expense of their audiences, so Oakley’s argument about the importance of providing a place for people was an interesting one. Kate Oakley, Writer & Policy Analyst and Adjunct Professor Faculty of Creative Industries, Queensland University of Technology ‘Are Partnerships the Answer?’ Speaking with the experience of having recently worked on two projects which involved partnerships, Warden talked about the value of partnerships as well as the pitfalls, providing a valuable list of ‘lessons learned’. With the idea of linking organisations being in focus at the conference it was good to hear practical advice, such as the importance of defining the roles of the partners before entering into the partnership. Vicki Warden, Museum Development Officer, Southern Inland Queensland, Queensland Museum ‘bring the stories alive to a new generation of Australians’ Jackie Huggins of the Bidjara and Birri–Gubba Juru peoples, asked us to ‘bring the stories alive to a new generation of Australians’, particularly considering that on May 27, 1967, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were finally counted as Australian citizens. Huggins suggested that organisations work together to create a story trail, with organisations across Australia displaying objects from their collection that would help tell the story of this major event in Australia‘s history. It seemed like Jackie captured the imaginations of many people in the audience with this idea and I hope that we will see something special develop from this. Jackie Huggins, Deputy Director Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, The University of Queensland ‘It should be a wondrous place’ Tim Evans gave us a glimpse into the development of the new Museum of Liverpool, arguing that ‘It should be a wondrous place’ and a ‘radical urban history museum’. The idea that captured my attention most was that of the ‘Community Pod’, a groovy looking display environment, where members of the public will be able to curate their own exhibitions, with the help of staff. I think this idea really captures the spirit of blogging and other modes of communication where consumers are becoming the producers. Tim Evans, Director Management, Economics and Consultancy Unit, Mott MacDonald Group and Project Director National Museum of Liverpool There’s ‘too much design’ I was captivated by some of the exhibition’s Peter Emmet’s worked on, particularly the beautiful design of an exhibition which was like walking through a three– dimensional map. Considering this, it was ironic that at the end of the talk, Peter Emmet commented that he thought that in the museum profession there was ‘too much design’! Bah humbug! Peter Emmet, Consultant Curator, Historian, Writer ‘A museum is a ring of rocks’ Alison Page spoke about the role of museums from her perspective as a designer and Wodi–Wodi woman. The idea that particularly engaged me was that museums are not only keeping places, but gathering places. Alison Page, Interior Designer with the Merrima Design Group and panellist on The New Inventors ‘A new demographic’ Sir Peter Hall’s discussion began with the idea that markets are no longer about income alone, but lifestyle. He gave the example of the Demos Study ‘People Make Places: Growing the Public Life of Cities ‘ which identifies groups of people, including Home Birds, Mall Walkers, ‘Hoodsters, Patriots, Displayers, Brand Addicts, Bright Lights, Hobby Horses, Urban Safarians and Public Spirits. The study, which is a great read by the way, really brings home the importance of understanding people first, before you can create a space for them – highly relevant to museums. Sir Peter Hall, Professor of Planning, Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning, University College London More to come. |
Posted by Lisa at 10:15 PM 0 comment[s]
| Here I am at the Museums Australia National Conference in sunny Brisbane where I plan to blog live from the conference – time and technology permitting! However, a few short notes on the proceedings. The conference yesterday focused on regional and remote museums. Many of the speakers talked about the importance of establishing networks and partnerships. Another speaker, Sam Ham, focused on interpretation. This was quite inspiring, with Sam suggesting that museums should focus less on visitors remembering facts and more on provoking thought. Time is running short, but one little thing before I go, it is interesting that so far, I have not heard anything on either museums using blogs or podcasts! |
Posted by Lisa at 11:39 AM 3 comment[s]
 Photograph by Payal Vora (aka Magnet Chick) Payal Vora’s photo of the Philadelphia Museum of Art is titled ‘Taking a Break’. If you would like your photo published as Museum Photo of the Week, upload to Flickr and add to the Museum Photos for MODE group pool (instructions here). Tags: museum, blog, photos, philadelphia |
Posted by Lisa at 3:40 PM 0 comment[s]
| If you believe Sebastian Smee in his article ‘Image Fatigue’ in the Weekend Australian, ‘Photography is an art form on the wane’. According to Smee, the general public is losing interest in photography. To Smee, the overabundance of images in our visual culture and the ease with which photographers can now post–edit is waring thin the magic of this medium. On the contrary, I would argue that photography as a popular art form is on the rise. Perhaps photographs aren’ t fetching as much in the auction houses at the moment or attracting huge audiences, but the groundswell of photography as a popular art form is pretty hard to miss. A good example is a recent exhibition called ‘Emerge’ at Trinity Church Hall, in the Perth CBD. The exhibition displayed the work of ‘same-sex’ and ‘gender diverse’ youth. Around the perimeter of the exhibition were large black and white photographs. Whilst not technically brilliant, many photos were captivating and lured me into their world, if only for a brief moment. The photos allowed a young, often vulnerable, group to express themselves to the world to explore their identity in a celebratory manner in the photographic medium. As one young participant said: ‘We all brought dress-ups and accessories and donned on some outfits that meant something for us. One of the most common ways for youth to express their identities is through what they wear, so this was important. It was also a chance to ham it up, let loose and have some fun – and we all definitely did!’ Just as in the phenomenon that is the photo–sharing site Flickr, the magic of these photos was in the sharing with others. In this case, young people learning about themselves through dressing up and then proudly showing themselves off as they want themselves to be seen by the world – invincible instead of vulnerable. Is photgraphy a declining art form? Tell me what you think? |
Posted by Lisa at 9:47 PM 16 comment[s]
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