Why do people go to exhibitions, and what do they hope to gain from the experience? What would happen if people were encouraged to move freely through exhibition spaces, take photographs and be playful?In this book, Inge Daniels explores what might happen if people and objects were freed from the regulations currently associated with going to an exhibition. Traditional understandings of exhibitions place the viewers in a one-way communication form, where the exhibition and those behind its creation inform their audiences. However, motivations behind exhibition-going are multiple and complex and frequently the intentions ofcurators do not match the expectations of their visitors.Based on an in-depth ethnographic examination of the processes involved in the making and reception of one particular exhibition-experiment as well as a study that follows 'freed' objects into their new homes, this publication will not only shed light on what exhibitions are, but also what they could become in the future.Featuring over 175 colour illustrations and using practical examples, this is an important contribution for students and scholars of anthropology, museum studies, photography, design and architecture.
Inge Daniels is Associate Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford, UK.
AcknowledgementsIntroduction: What Are Exhibitions For?SPREAD 1: The AHJ booklet: A practical tool to study exhibition visitors Chapter 1. Representational and Performative KnowledgeSPREAD 2: Mike - 'There is a connecting memory in my feet'Chapter 2. Photography, Exhibition Design and AtmosphereSPREAD 3: Sue - 'Photography students have been very surprised to learn that what appears to be an actual window is in fact an illusion'Chapter 3. Similarities and StereotypesSPREAD 4: Jen - 'I was very interested in anime and manga'Chapter 4. To Learn or Not to Learn SPREAD 5: Natasha - 'And I have been putting them in the dishwasher'SPREAD 6: Natalia - 'It's in our shower because it's very useful; Molly - 'It is something I found and can't give away'Chapter 5. Photography, Performance and Play SPREAD 7: Ali - 'I never found England a very interesting place'Conclusion: Exhibitions as Technologies of the Imagination?NotesReferences
The text and illustration of this book are attractive, even beautiful. The writing is very clear, and the material on the variety of visitors and their responses is both original and rich.
