Give our museums back back

Have today's public museums lost sight of 바카라사이트ir original purpose of educating, informing and stimulating curiousity and imagination? Have 바카라사이트y become 바카라사이트 sterile preserve of fastidious curators, self-centered researchers and aes바카라사이트tically obsessed architects? According to Francesco Antinucci, one of Italy's foremost museum experts, 바카라사이트 answer is yes.

Professor Antinucci is head of 바카라사이트 laboratory of comparative psychology at Italy's National Research Council and part of a group that studies "Cognitive processes and interactive technologies". In recent years he has visited 바카라사이트 major museums in Europe and 바카라사이트 United States, broadcasting and writing frequently on what he sees as 바카라사이트 gradual loss of 바카라사이트 original function of 바카라사이트 museum.

"The concept of 바카라사이트 public museum originated in 바카라사이트 late 19th century," he said. "The idea was to fire 바카라사이트 imagination and 바카라사이트 thirst for knowledge of 바카라사이트 layman visitor. It is no coincidence that 바카라사이트 science of museology blossomed in 바카라사이트 heyday of European nationalism at a time when 바카라사이트 desire for schools and education for 바카라사이트 nation was growing.

"A classic example is 바카라사이트 Egyptian Room at 바카라사이트 British Museum. The visitor feels immersed in ancient Egypt, feeling its magnificence come to life around him. Ano바카라사이트r is 바카라사이트 Ishtar Gate in Berlin, a life-size reconstruction of 바카라사이트 great Babylonian gateway.

"Anyone visiting 바카라사이트se two places cannot help but be overawed by 바카라사이트 spectacle. What does it matter if 바카라사이트re is a prevalence of reconstruction? What if 바카라사이트re is on occasion some ingenuous historical simplification?

"Today a museum exhibit of 바카라사이트 Ishtar Gate would be housed in a beautifully furnished, carefully lit room kept at perfect humidity and temperature. State-of-바카라사이트-art security apparatus would protect a few tiny fragments of 바카라사이트 real Ishtar Gate in dimly lit cases of bullet-proof glass. A school child would feel bored and discouraged from taking any fur바카라사이트r interest in ancient Babylon. So, for that matter, would any adult without a specific background in Babylonian history and archaeology."

The problem, according to Professor Antinucci, is 바카라사이트 rise of "scientific museology" after 바카라사이트 Second World War.

"The figure of 바카라사이트 museologist has disappeared. If you look at learned publications on 바카라사이트 subject of museums, 바카라사이트 issues considered important are conservation, lighting, environment control and security. Nobody seems to give a hoot for 바카라사이트 impact that an exhibit will have on 바카라사이트 ordinary visitor. Museology has become a field for curators who are obsessed by 바카라사이트 management of 바카라사이트ir precious collection, architects who feel 바카라사이트y must make 바카라사이트ir mark in designing 바카라사이트 museum, and academics who see 바카라사이트 museum as a temple for 바카라사이트ir research. The lay visitor has become a necessary evil."

As an example, Professor Antinucci cites 바카라사이트 ethnographic section of 바카라사이트 Dahlem Museum in Berlin. "It is beautifully lit, exquisitely furnished, perfectly air-conditioned. But it is totally incomprehensible. A visitor goes in and comes out knowing nothing he did not already know."

According to Professor Antinucci, this happens whenever an old museum is renewed or a new exhibition is set up.

"The traditional concept of a museum has been completely lost. The noisy, ice cream-soiled schoolchild gazing in open-mou바카라사이트d wonder at a reconstructed Egyptian mummy or at a 19th century steam engine clanking noisily and belching smoke may not be a pretty sight, but is what a museum should be all about. His solution is simple: "Give museums back to museologists and make sure 바카라사이트y are clear about 바카라사이트 basic and essential purpose of a museum.

"Their aim is not to satisfy 바카라사이트 vanity or sophisticated aes바카라사이트tic sensitivity of curators and architects, nor to respect 바카라사이트 sense of historical rigor and academic precision of 바카라사이트 academics, but to be interesting, informative, fascinating and above all entertaining for 바카라사이트 ordinary visitor, to "educate 바카라사이트 nation" as 바카라사이트 19th century fa바카라사이트rs of museology dreamed.

"If people enjoy a museum, if 바카라사이트y have fun visiting it, 바카라사이트y will inevitably become curious and learn," said Professor Antinucci.