Trans-museal experiences: inspiring a musealising gaze on the everyday
Paper presented at the 2017 international Art and Presence conference at University of Southern Denmark
Abstract
Like their musealised counterparts, everyday objects are both material, aesthetic entities and also cultural signifiers, ‘nodes at which matter and meaning intersect’ (Daston 2004:16). Hence, the potential pleasures in experiencing and reflecting on cultural objects in the everyday could be harnessed as a matter of curatorial interest. This presentation traces a current trend for transcending the museum setting to engage with everyday culture, and suggests that the notion of the ‘museum gaze’ could be reconceptualised as a musealising gaze on the everyday. Discussing illustrative examples, the paper will explore how museums may work strategically to augment this experience.
Musings 