co-production: visitors, knowledge and politics for cetaid
DESCRIPTION
Workshop presented as part of the CETforAID project, Portugal, 20th February 2013. https://www.facebook.com/CETforAIDTRANSCRIPT
Co-production: Visitors, Knowledge and PoliticsHelen Graham
Workshop for the CETAID project, Portugal, 20th February 2013
https://www.facebook.com/CETforAID
What are the key words you have been using in your workshops so far?
Q1.
Are there examples of co-produced and user-generated content you’ve been involved in at
your museums?
Why do museums do co-production? What do we hope co-
production will achieve?
Q2.
It is probably not excessive to suggest that the profound feeling of unworthiness (and of incompetence)
which haunts the least cultivated visitors as if they were overcome
with respect when confronted with the sacred universe of legitimate
culture, contributes in no small way to keeping them away from
museums. (p. 53)
It’s not really news that art galleries might be exclusive!
Northern Spirit: 300 Years of Art in the North East,Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle
Images: Nicola Maxwell
http://vimeo.com/33648485
Artists have seen the North East in lots of different ways. How does the North East look to you today?
Level playing field?
Visitor research: Success in one way (…but did the co-produced content help?)
• 50% split on whether the gallery was about ‘art’ or about the ‘north east’
• Phase 1 visitor research: noticed was little use of the AV
• Phase 2 visitor research: focus in on each AV element
• Space matters – wall space counts!
But…
• Form matters – touchscreens = ‘information’
When asked to listen or look at the co-produced media then visitors gave positive comments –
It’s quite cool to see the city from a local’s point of
view…
It’s interesting to see the changes (e.g.
Tyne, between then and now)
Interesting mix.. (between known photograph and unknown photography)
[support idea that’ ‘anyone can take pictures
and capture a nice moment’
I think it adds to your experience and understanding. You look at the paintings and you have your own perspective and then if you add someone else’s perspective, you get a different idea of how it has
developed…
[Listening to people’s stories] ‘makes it a little bit more real, how it used to
exist’
‘makes it a bit more personal to the people
around here which is good’
• Not strong enough connection between paintings and co-produced media (as a result felt ‘too much’)
• Need for stronger explanation about why co-produced content was there – give authored and personal reasons (because this is what gives it it’s value)
Maybe it would be nice if you used people’s comments to explain
the significance of the place for them…
Doesn’t really say how the content has been
generated…
What are the issues with displaying collections and co-produced and user-generated content side-by-side? Is it helpful to treat them differently? And if so, in what ways?
Q3.
Experiential knowing is through direct face-to-face encounter with person, place or thing; it is knowing through the immediacy of perceiving, through empathy and resonance.
Presentational knowing emerges from experiential knowing, and provides the first form of expressing meaning and significance through drawing on expressive forms of imagery through movement, dance, sound, music, drawing, painting, sculpture, poetry, story, drama and so on.
Propositional knowing ‘about’ something, is knowing through ideas and theories, expressed in informative statements.
Practical knowing is knowing ‘how to’ do something and is expressed in a skill, knack or competence
(Heron, 1992, 1996a).
Individual/communities Visitors/Public
Museum/professional
mediating role?
v.?
Do these different ‘ways of knowing’ reflect your experience of developing exhibitions? Is anything left out?
Q4.
Workshop
Visitor Experiences of Co-produced Exhibits/Exhibitions:Sharing research and exploring approaches
18th December, St Mungo Museum of Art and Religious life
Experiential knowing is through direct face-to-face encounter with person, place or thing; it is knowing through the immediacy of perceiving, through empathy and resonance.
Presentational knowing emerges from experiential knowing, and provides the first form of expressing meaning and significance through drawing on expressive forms of imagery through movement, dance, sound, music, drawing, painting, sculpture, poetry, story, drama and so on.
Propositional knowing ‘about’ something, is knowing through ideas and theories, expressed in informative statements.
Practical knowing is knowing ‘how to’ do something and is expressed in a skill, knack or competence
(Heron, 1992, 1996a).
Museum control
TELL
Museum decides and then informs
others
SELL
Museum decides then sells
positive aspects of the decision.
CONSULT
Museum invites input before
deciding
JOIN
Museum invites others to make decisions with
them.
DDELEGATE
Museum turns decision over to
others.
Participant control
Courtesy of Kinharvie Institute and Curious Conference,St Mungo Museum of Art and Religious Life.
5th and 6th December 2012.
Museum control
TELL
Museum decides and then informs
others
SELL
Museum decides then sells
positive aspects of the decision.
CONSULT
Museum invites input before
deciding
JOIN
Museum invites others to make decisions with
them.
DDELEGATE
Museum turns decision over to
others.
Participant control
Courtesy of Kinharvie Institute and Curious Conference,St Mungo Museum of Art and Religious Life.
5th and 6th December 2012.
Think about the projects you are working on – Can you think (or not!)of an example where you think the museum can legitimately: Tell, Sell, Consult, Join, Delegate
Sherry R. Arnstien’s Ladder of Participation (1969)
What is core to the museum?
Austerity and co-production
Q5.
Does content produced by visitors present a different challenge and possibilities to co-produced material by a group working with the museum?
Q6.
Return to our motivations for doing co-production…
How might co-production and visitor-generated content renew museums for 21st century and in the context of cuts?
More on Northern Spirit and the co-produced content see:artontyneside.wordpress.com
Helen Graham: [email protected]