Museum exhibitions tend to be pretty static; most of the groundwork takes place in advance and once the doors have opened, visitors file in to see what is essentially a finished product.
But what if displays responded to real-time events and input from outsiders so that their content and interpretation kept changing until the last day of the show? The idea of an “evolving exhibition” – one that continually changes and grows as time goes by – is something that a number of institutions have been investigating recently.
Last November, the Wellcome Collection in London launched the Institute of Sexology (until 20 September), an exhibition on how scientific research into sexuality has influenced society’s attitudes to sex.
The exhibition forms part of a new, more experimental form of public programming being introduced at the Wellcome Collection. The museum describes it as “thinking out loud” – the idea of making its content part of a two-way conversation, inviting a wider community of visitors, curators, academics and others to engage in the debate and influence what its exhibitions look like.
Lasting almost a year, the Institute of Sexology has a much longer lifespan than most temporary exhibitions, giving the museum greater space to test and explore its own interpretation. During its year, the exhibition will feature new commissions, live interventions, discussions and performances within the gallery space.
The institute hopes that by the end, the exhibition will be a different beast to the one seen by visitors last November – so as well as getting a wider range of people involved in the museum’s decision-making, it’s a clever way to keep the public coming back for more.
As well as exploring ongoing co-curation, some exhibitions are also taking a more immediate, fluid approach to current affairs. With one foot rooted in the past, it can sometimes be challenging for museums to respond to contemporary events in a traditional exhibition format, but the People’s History Museum in Manchester is trying something new this year to tie-in with the build-up and aftermath of the general election on 7 May (see below).
This month, it will launch Election! Britain Votes (14 February-28 June), an exhibition on the history of voting in modern Britain, featuring an object from every general election since 1900.
So far, so traditional – but in the midst of those historic displays, the museum will have a dynamic section on the 2015 election, where content is dictated by outside events and the objects on display will be continuously updated with new materials from all the major parties.
The museum will be inviting groups such as youth councils to submit their own election manifestos, and it hopes the exhibition will provide a space where visitors can reflect and respond to the election campaign.
A series of live events is also planned, such as a talk where visitors will have a chance to speak to pollsters about the accuracy of polling data. Other events include live screenings of Question Time and the Leaders’ Debates (providing they get the go-ahead), as well as a party on election night itself.
For the museum, this approach is an ideal way of linking its historical objects to the present day. “Our collections are living collections,” says Chris Burgess, the exhibition’s curator.
“The museum is the home of democracy and ideas worth fighting for. Even if people are disillusioned with politics, we hope this will get them engaged in the democratic process.”
It’s odd when an act of parliament makes exhibition planning easier but that’s just what happened with the introduction of the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act in 2011.
Barring a collapse in the government, it meant we knew the general election would be on 7 May and we could plan a major exhibition themed around elections.
We didn’t doubt for a second that a major part of Election! Britain Votes would feature the 2015 campaign. What’s nerve-wracking is anticipating how visitors will react to a living exhibition about something so divisive as elections.
One potential problem is any accusation of bias and of incorrectly representing a party or an individual’s views. But when displaying politics you have to accept that someone will disagree with your interpretation. This shouldn’t put you off.
Museums are places for thought, and visitors want to engage in conversation and debate.
Chris Burgess is the curator of collections and exhibitions at the People’s History Museum, Manchester
But what if displays responded to real-time events and input from outsiders so that their content and interpretation kept changing until the last day of the show? The idea of an “evolving exhibition” – one that continually changes and grows as time goes by – is something that a number of institutions have been investigating recently.
Last November, the Wellcome Collection in London launched the Institute of Sexology (until 20 September), an exhibition on how scientific research into sexuality has influenced society’s attitudes to sex.
The exhibition forms part of a new, more experimental form of public programming being introduced at the Wellcome Collection. The museum describes it as “thinking out loud” – the idea of making its content part of a two-way conversation, inviting a wider community of visitors, curators, academics and others to engage in the debate and influence what its exhibitions look like.
Lasting almost a year, the Institute of Sexology has a much longer lifespan than most temporary exhibitions, giving the museum greater space to test and explore its own interpretation. During its year, the exhibition will feature new commissions, live interventions, discussions and performances within the gallery space.
The institute hopes that by the end, the exhibition will be a different beast to the one seen by visitors last November – so as well as getting a wider range of people involved in the museum’s decision-making, it’s a clever way to keep the public coming back for more.
As well as exploring ongoing co-curation, some exhibitions are also taking a more immediate, fluid approach to current affairs. With one foot rooted in the past, it can sometimes be challenging for museums to respond to contemporary events in a traditional exhibition format, but the People’s History Museum in Manchester is trying something new this year to tie-in with the build-up and aftermath of the general election on 7 May (see below).
This month, it will launch Election! Britain Votes (14 February-28 June), an exhibition on the history of voting in modern Britain, featuring an object from every general election since 1900.
So far, so traditional – but in the midst of those historic displays, the museum will have a dynamic section on the 2015 election, where content is dictated by outside events and the objects on display will be continuously updated with new materials from all the major parties.
The museum will be inviting groups such as youth councils to submit their own election manifestos, and it hopes the exhibition will provide a space where visitors can reflect and respond to the election campaign.
A series of live events is also planned, such as a talk where visitors will have a chance to speak to pollsters about the accuracy of polling data. Other events include live screenings of Question Time and the Leaders’ Debates (providing they get the go-ahead), as well as a party on election night itself.
For the museum, this approach is an ideal way of linking its historical objects to the present day. “Our collections are living collections,” says Chris Burgess, the exhibition’s curator.
“The museum is the home of democracy and ideas worth fighting for. Even if people are disillusioned with politics, we hope this will get them engaged in the democratic process.”
Election fever
It’s odd when an act of parliament makes exhibition planning easier but that’s just what happened with the introduction of the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act in 2011.
Barring a collapse in the government, it meant we knew the general election would be on 7 May and we could plan a major exhibition themed around elections.
We didn’t doubt for a second that a major part of Election! Britain Votes would feature the 2015 campaign. What’s nerve-wracking is anticipating how visitors will react to a living exhibition about something so divisive as elections.
One potential problem is any accusation of bias and of incorrectly representing a party or an individual’s views. But when displaying politics you have to accept that someone will disagree with your interpretation. This shouldn’t put you off.
Museums are places for thought, and visitors want to engage in conversation and debate.
Chris Burgess is the curator of collections and exhibitions at the People’s History Museum, Manchester
