We live in a world of rapid change: of instant messaging, fast food, speed dating, speed yoga, and speed-reading. But isn't it about time we slowed down?
An alternative to the rush and push world, which so many of us claim we want to drop out of, is offered by the Slow Movement, which museums should embrace with gusto - though given its origins in Italy, perhaps that should be pesto.
Slow fits so much more naturally with museums than fast, and at its heart is a mission to protect and celebrate cultural identity. Founded in 1986 by Carlo Petrini, Slow Food was initially a playful shot across the bows of McDonald's and the opening of a branch of the fast-food chain at the Spanish Steps in Rome. Since then the movement has grown across Europe and the US.
Slow Food's focus has been to oppose the standardisation of taste. But it doesn't stop at food. Since 1986 the movement has widened and now includes a myriad of variant slows, of which Slow Cities and the Long Now are most relevant to the cultural sector.
Slow Cities is about community involvement with slow ideals. Towns can apply for Slow City status, which requires a commitment from residents and the local authority. A Slow City promotes environmental policy designed to maintain and develop infrastructure based on improvement, not occupation of the land.
The Long Now centres on two projects: the Clock and the Library. A prototype of the Clock can be seen at the Science Museum, and it has been developed to re-frame time and our relation to it. The Library is aimed at the content to go along with the long-term context provided by the Clock.
So where does slow fit with the cultural sector and is there an argument for slow culture? For the museum community, there is not only a duty to remind and remember the diversity that has been lost, but also to support communities in rediscovering and establishing their cultural identities.
Embracing the Slow Movement is a means of doing this. The ethos behind the Slow Movement tallies with many of the agendas faced by the museum sector, such as diversity, community cohesion, health and access. Slow puts users and communities first, encourages individual and local histories, and recognises the value of personal skills and local cultural practice.
But it is not all one-way traffic. Museums and galleries offer something fundamental to the Slow Movement, something that is valued by many people - space and time.
The recent Mori Renaissance Museums Visitor poll indicates that 42 per cent of visits to museums are to meet friends, have coffee and relax, or people just calling in. This illustrates the role museums have as a neutral space to recharge the batteries and orientate oneself.
There are many Slow Food networks - partnerships that museums can engage with to further community cohesion and enhance local identities. So shouldn't we get a move on and slow down to grow the society we want for the future? But by the way… let's be quick about it.
Philip Kiberd is the content coordination officer/research evidence officer at Museums, Libraries and Archives West Midlands
An alternative to the rush and push world, which so many of us claim we want to drop out of, is offered by the Slow Movement, which museums should embrace with gusto - though given its origins in Italy, perhaps that should be pesto.
Slow fits so much more naturally with museums than fast, and at its heart is a mission to protect and celebrate cultural identity. Founded in 1986 by Carlo Petrini, Slow Food was initially a playful shot across the bows of McDonald's and the opening of a branch of the fast-food chain at the Spanish Steps in Rome. Since then the movement has grown across Europe and the US.
Slow Food's focus has been to oppose the standardisation of taste. But it doesn't stop at food. Since 1986 the movement has widened and now includes a myriad of variant slows, of which Slow Cities and the Long Now are most relevant to the cultural sector.
Slow Cities is about community involvement with slow ideals. Towns can apply for Slow City status, which requires a commitment from residents and the local authority. A Slow City promotes environmental policy designed to maintain and develop infrastructure based on improvement, not occupation of the land.
The Long Now centres on two projects: the Clock and the Library. A prototype of the Clock can be seen at the Science Museum, and it has been developed to re-frame time and our relation to it. The Library is aimed at the content to go along with the long-term context provided by the Clock.
So where does slow fit with the cultural sector and is there an argument for slow culture? For the museum community, there is not only a duty to remind and remember the diversity that has been lost, but also to support communities in rediscovering and establishing their cultural identities.
Embracing the Slow Movement is a means of doing this. The ethos behind the Slow Movement tallies with many of the agendas faced by the museum sector, such as diversity, community cohesion, health and access. Slow puts users and communities first, encourages individual and local histories, and recognises the value of personal skills and local cultural practice.
But it is not all one-way traffic. Museums and galleries offer something fundamental to the Slow Movement, something that is valued by many people - space and time.
The recent Mori Renaissance Museums Visitor poll indicates that 42 per cent of visits to museums are to meet friends, have coffee and relax, or people just calling in. This illustrates the role museums have as a neutral space to recharge the batteries and orientate oneself.
There are many Slow Food networks - partnerships that museums can engage with to further community cohesion and enhance local identities. So shouldn't we get a move on and slow down to grow the society we want for the future? But by the way… let's be quick about it.
Philip Kiberd is the content coordination officer/research evidence officer at Museums, Libraries and Archives West Midlands
