symposium museum- territory - society newtendencies...
TRANSCRIPT
ICOM International Commit.ee for the Training of PersonneICOM International Committee for Museolog,
Joint colloquiun
METHODOLOGY OF MUSEOLOGYAND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
London, July 198~
ICOM International Committee for Museolog)
Symposium
MUSEUM - TERRITORY - SOCIETYNEW TENDENCIES/NEW PRACTICES
London, July 1983
ADDENDA 2
SymposiumMUSEUM - TERRITORY - SOCIETYNEW TENDENCIES/NEW PRACTICES
* BASIC PAPERS
Lacouture, Felipe - Mexico D.F., Mexico 2
Nair, S M New Delhi, India 6
* COMMENTS
Veillard, Jean-Yves - Rennes, France
* INTERVENTIONS
Schreiner, Klaus - Alt Schwerin, GDR
* SUMMARIES
da Mota, Manuela - Lisboa, Portugal
Sola, Tomislav - Zagreb, Yugoslavia
Stockholm, September 1983
9
1 1
14
19
Felipe Lacouture, Mexico D.F. - Mexico
ECONUSEE, TYPOLOGIE ET CARACTERISTIQUES
BASIC PAPER
l.'Ecomusce etant un musec territorial, pourrait avoir commc
antecedent Ie plus inmediat , Ie parc naturel mus6aIise. Dans
mon pays, Ie ~Iexi'lue, iJ existe depuis 1a premiere moitH: du XIXcmc
siccle, pJusieurs institutiulls 'lui sont simplement des espacesde conservation 011 de recreation et en font ainsi Ie pionnier
du continent americaill. Cependallt, sa mus~alisation commence i
peine aujourd 'hui ii Gtre pl"ise en main par 13 Direction des Paresdu Minist6re du Dcveloppement Urbain et de 1 'Ecologie avec I 'a'sse9
sor'lt de I'autellr t10 co travai.l.
II se pose d~s Ie premier momellt d'3border 13 mus6alisation
<l'un pan:, une mul ti<li~;c.ipljn:'ritc entre les clements geologiqucs
et biologiques et a maintes occasions, entre CBS deux derniers et
les 6tablissemonts humains archeologiques comme cela se presen-
to au ~lexique. Cependant, l'Ecomusee presentc de mUltiples disci
plines tI:lIlS une inter:Jction pIllS complexe 'lll3nd i1 se projette
sur un territoirc comme veritable integration de la nature, de
l'environncmcnt et du J~vcloppelnent humain jusl!u'5 sa vision 1a
plUS actualis6c, en deux mots, la r6alit6 de l'homme. La coordi
nation des /IIllltiplcs disciplines se donne au moment o~ l'espace
se mus6alise et 10 visio!1 integree 'lui ~e presente lui en donne
son caract~re singulicr. Nous pouvons y ajouter la vision de syn
th!se dans les unites tI'interprctation ou de reference qui se combi
ne avec I' integration dont nailS avons fait mention.
Integration et syntll~sc Ic distingue, mais cn plus il deman
tie llnC e~ql:tcia1itc d0l'.t'rlllin,:'c 'pli est. la tcrritorialc, qlli Ie llif
f6n:n..:ic <lll IIIIIS~(: traditi<lnllt'l <!:lllS l'csl':lce ferme d'lln immeuhlc
veritah1c 110t, dans Ie cOlltexte urbain, qui cst gcncr31emcnt all
i I se I'r\)dl' i t et avec IC1lllci sa thema tiqlle a pell 011 meme la plu
part t11.!~; !"o i S :IIlCIIIl rapport:.
2
L'int6gration, comme je l'ai dej,i clit, permet a l'Ecomusee
de donner une vision tot;.Jlis3trice f3ce a un public Eortement
varie, jnconscient et ignorant sous beaucoup d'aspects quant ases res sources et i sa propre existence. Tout cela dB I la divi
sion technique du travail, mais fondamentalement dQ i la division
sociale de ce clernier qui, en 1\mer ique Latine par exemple, revihe
des profils dramatiques d'exploitation humaine par des groupes
minoritaircs qui mcritent, soit dit en passant, tout l'appui ex
t&rieur. l'ar des sus tout cela, en plus, la division internationa
Ie du travail qui Illargine I 'aire contincnt31e et predetermine Ie
sous-developpement et emp~che l'acc~s de grands secteurs de la
population aux niveaux les plus eleves de prise de conscience de
leur realitfi. Je vous prie de bien vouloir excuser mes references
constantes il l'i\mfirique Latine mais c'est Iii ma marque de referen
ce et je continuerai ii Ie faire tout au long de cet expose.
L'Ecornusee en permettant la participation, c'est-a-dire
l'autogestion, provoque des situations d'cnorme interet en rapport
avec 10 situation antcrieure. 1.e musce traditionnel, au XTXeme
siecle, mis 5 part son manque de dialogue, ne peut pas par sa
structure !IIeme, par sa [orme de travail (quj ne contemple d'autre
action que celIe du specialiste dans un "Magister dixit") s'affron
ter avec agilit6 <1 un processus de democratisation de la culture
qui en Amerique Latine, par exemple, est si necessaire.
L'exposition hasco sur des tli.sciplincs comme Ie sont lcs
scientifiques, doit se mener au nivea!1 des connaissances abstrai
tes et par Id marne, ma1llr6 son ohjcctivit6 dne a l'usage concret
des collections, pose 18 difficult6 de 1a communication avec un
pllbl.ic bien souvcnt ana) phahc1"c' Oll cO!lll'tant sur Illle education
cultllrclle trcs 616mentaire, comme i1 en cst ]e cas pour beaucoup
de latinoamcricains. La prcselitat.ion tradjti.onnelle por Ie moyen
3
de vitrines, de pallneaux, tableaux explicatifs et graphiqucs,
cst en fait bien difEicile i cOln!Jrondro pour les non initiAs
qui so dEvoloppont plutBt J des Iliveaux de connaissances a££ec
tives 0t/ou emotivcs. e'est principalement a cause de cela que
l'on a dit que les musees sont elitistes, pour ne pas avoir la
capscite de communication avec un public de masse. II existe
cependant plusieurs techniques pour conduire par exemple, desgroupes d'enfants au moy~n d'activites ludiques et d'expAtiencesconcr~tes determinEes. Non obstant, cos techniques ne sont pas
utilisces avec Ie grand public, dont Ie mus~ographe n'a genera
lement P:1S de connaissances ni d'analyse constitutive.
Les experiences europeennes et surtout canadiennes en ges
tion des Ecomusces ont permi et provoqu~ la participation descommunautes a la dEcouverte, In va]oration et la presentation
de leur propre patrimoine naturel et culturel, avec l'aide du
specialiste bieIl sGr, mais en action directe avec les dif£Eren-,
tes marieres disponibles. Rcvaloriscr ]e "savoir populaire" comme
partie fondamentale uos programmes ainsi que 1 'autogestion et la
considEration de 1 'espnce vital propre, comme ce qui est musealisable, a provoqu& la u6mocratisation du travail de musEe , lui
permettant de sortir de l'espace restreint et isolc du musee a
18 fa~on du XIXeme si5cle. Cette perspective permet, gr6ce 5 des
activit6s cminemment basces sur l'expErience vcclle i un niveau
af£ectif, de conduire l'individu vers d'autres niveaux plus &le
yeS dans la sphere de In connaiss"nce et ue 1 'education.
Pour conclure, jc fait mention IIU passage, de l'activite
communautaire eminemment vecue du petit "1usee Afroantil!ais de
la ville de Panama, qlli. a justcment decouvert son propre chemin
par Ie moyen de l'alltogestion nans son espace vital, par la reva
lorisation du savoir populairc, par ses traditions et ses souvenirs
4
affectifs et par son existence cn tunt que groupe social qui a
apport6 tant d'efforts a la construction du canal au d6but du
s:i:ecle.
Pour resumer, nous pouvons noter dans un simple releve des
caracteristiques de l'Ecornusee, l'interdisciplinarite, ~'integra
tion, la synthese, la participation et la democratisation.
Nous pouvons finalement concevoir, avec une vision dinami
que, la territorialite de l'Ecomusee transportee a la dimension
urbaine et transportant avec elle, ses caracteristiques. Nous
pourrions voir une evolution du temps du Parc Naturel initial
vers une mllsealisation du contexte urhain avec les resultats
sans aucun donte positifs que signifierait pour l'i\merique Latine
par exemple et pour heaucoup de groupes urbains margines du monde
Nord-Atlantique aussi., un processus semblahle en prenant compte
des caracteristiqlles violentes de destruction du Patrimoine Natu
reI et du Patrimoine Cillturel dans Ie developpement urbain impro
vise.
\..
Juillet 1983Mexico D F - Mexic'O Felipe lJICCUl'lJRE
5
SM Nair, New Delhi - India BASIC PAPER
ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT - THE INTERPRETIVE ROLE orNATURAL HISTORY .\o1USEU .\>lS
Natural History .'vluseums represent the world of nature. They
should help us to think about nature, discover the complex systems that
are part of nature and the ways man effects these, i.e., they should provide
us· with an understanding of life on earth, the factors responsible for their
well-being and the part they play in maintaining and sustaining life support
systems and the biosphere in general, vis-a-vis man's dependence on nature
and the necessity to maintain our ecological heritage free frolll dalll"ge
and destruction.
The question of maintaining and preserving our cnvironrncn t
is of greater relevance and significance today than ever before because
of the degradation already suffered by natural eco-systems the wodd over
'at the hands of man. Today more them a thousand vertebrate specie,
and sub-species, and 25,000 plant species arc threatened with extinction.
Despite the best efforts of conservationists, the destruction of the biosphere
goes on unchecked. The fact that many species and ecosystems arc being
depleted, degraded or destroyed is reasonably well known to a handful
of ecologists and conservators. l3ut the fight to save the environment
cannot be won by these professionals alone. The need then is to extend
knowledge and understanding' to. the publ ic in general and to those who
make or influence decisions. The dissemination of information aimed at
creating an awareness, an understanding and il sense of participation on
the part of the public is a top priority activity in terms of protecting
our natural world. The NaturiJl History .\o1useum can undertake this task
of communication of information and of creating public awareness through
the potential medium of exhibits and activities that it has at its commilnd.
A strong case for SIlP~
Public and governmental support is essential for the organIsa-
tion and development of any institution. It has been the experience of
6
museums in many countries that they get only a low priority in terms
of financial support, as they are considered secondary to areas of greater
national importance such as food, housing, defence and even formal education.
The increasing importance attached by governments the world over to
problems of conservation of nature and protection of the environment
presents an opportunity for natural science museums which they should
exploit. This opportunity should enable them to obtain a treatment of
priority if they reorient their objectives in line with national priorities
such as environmental education. Such a reorientation of the basic objectives
of the natural science museum does not represent any major departure
from its traditional functions. On the contrary, it would represent a logical'
trend in the evolution of the museum j tself.
An understanding of the need for conservation and wise use
of natural resources can be achieved only through a basic knowledge of
the plants and animals that exist in nature, their inter-relationships, the
factors that contribute to the maintenance of balanced ceo-systems, what
happens when these systems are disrupted or destroyed, and how man himself
is affected through such imbalances. The fundamental need therefore
is to understand life and nature as they existed, as they exist today and
as they should exist tomorrow. One of the traditional functions of natural
history museums is the presentation of specimens and information related
to the diversity of life on earth. The same information represented with
a new emphasis can provide the basic knowledge essential for intelligent
application of conservation measures.
One of the underlying purposes of projecting this over-all picture
of nature should be to focus attention on the rich natural heritage of the
region itself. This helps to create a sense of pride in one's own natural
heritage and an awareness of the need to protect it with a sense of belonging.
The presentation of this total picture of the natural heritage, with emphasis
on local fauna and flora, should be considered the foundation stone of
the museum upon which the rest of its functions could be built up.
7
For promoting environmental education, exhibits on several
aspects of Ecology, Wild Life and Conservation could be developed. A
gallery on the theme, 'how nature works' or 'understanding ecolog( can
be of basic interest. Aspects of the inter-dependence of living organisms
in various natural habitats could be portrayed here. The whole question
of biological energy starting with plants that capture sunlight to synthesise
basic carbohydrates, and flow of this energy through consumers, predators,
etc., leading ultimately to death, decomposition and natural recycling of
energy can form an excellent theme to demonstrate the basic inter-relation
ship between living organisms and the physical environment. Food chains
in different eco-systems, the role played by various organisms in maintaining
them and how man's interference has brought about disastrous consequences
can be demonstrated through well conceived exhibits. In dealing with
environment it is important to provide a positive outlook emphasising man's
role in ensuring a better environment for the future rather than presenting
a 'dooms day' approach.
The National ,'-'1useum of Natural History in New Delhi, India
is an example of a museum fully devoted to ecological studies and environ
mental education. It functions under the Department of Environment
of the Government of India. Commissioned to the public on June 5, 1978,
coinciding with the World Environment Day, the ,'-'1useum now has two
galleries, one providing a general introduction to natural science and the
other dealing with ecology and a Discovery Room for chi Idren. It has
a large number of activities to promote environmental education including
curriculum enrichment for SChools, creative activity for children, teacher
orientation programmes, special courses Ior teenagers, special programmes
for handicapped children, public lectures etc. and projects of ecological
research.
The new gallery, open('d recently, entitled 'Nature's Network
an introduction to Ecology' presents through exhibi IS and audio-visual aids
a basic exposure to the principles of ecology and man's responsibility 11)
environmental conservation. The content of this gallery is relevant to
the present symposium. A brief introductory leaflet of this museum is
apppended therefore as part of this paper.
July, 1983New Delhi - India S M Nair
Jean-Yves VElUARD, Rennes - France
Observations et reflexions
L'apparition des ecomusees s'est faite, jusqu'iciet sauf erreur de ,notre part, dans un champ geographiqueassez restreint, France et Quebec.
Dans Ie premier pays nomme, on peut se demanders'il ne s'agit pas d'une forme de rattrapage historiquedans un pays qui n'avait pas connu l'apparition desmusees de plein-air, rattrapage qui s'expliquerait parles conditions propres a la France des rapports entrela societe rurale et la societe industrielle et l'evolutionde ces rapports (la prise de conscience tardive, parrapport a d'autres pays, de i'existence d'un patrimoinetechnique et industriel, serait un autre signe). Elles'est faite pour la premiere generation -a l'exceptiondu Creusot- dans des secteurs geographiques en voie deforte recession economique et de "chute" demographiquea tel point que tels de ces ecomusees ont pu apparaitrecomme des "reserves d'Indiens".
Un deuxieme eclairage, ideologique celui-la,peut etre apporte. Certains ecomusees p~edent d'unecritique radicale des rapports entre societe et patrimoine,du refus de l'elitisme, de la socialisation et de lavalorisation monctaire ; de l'emergence, a contrario.de la priorite donnee aux gestes et pratiques quotidiennes,aux valeurs culturelles specifiqucs aux classes dominees.
Une troisieme vague d'ecomusees pourrait etrecelIe de la recuperation qui se polarise surtout surIe prefixe qui permet de jeter un vetement neuf surn'importe quel corps.
C'est surtout sur la deuxieme notion qu'ilconvient de reflechir et de faire porter Ie debat.
a) La democratisation du patrimoine, en prenantl'exemple du statut des biens patrimoniaux qui restent,BOUS une forme ou BOUS une autre, propri6t6 des habitantsdu terr~toire. Nous nous posons 1a question de 1a dureedans Ie temps d'une telle attitude en ayant a l'espritdes cas' o~ en fait cela a surtout donne un coup de fouetau march6 local de 1a brocante.
Autrement dit, la democratisation a ses lirnites quitiennent a l'environnement dans laquelle elle s'exerce.
9
b) Une nouvelle attitude par rapport au patrimoine neperdure-t-elle pas que si elle vise un horizon plus large,celui du developpement communautaire avec le risque memede faire eclater l'unanimisme du depart et de faireapparaitre des clivages plus fondamentaux.
Prenons, hypoth~se d'ecole, Ie cas d'un ecomusee oUs'est developpee une pratique communautaire exemplaireet qui voit tout d'un coup surgir un evenement : unedecouverte mini~re qui am~ne l'apport brusque et intensede populations immigrees. Comment reagira la communautede depart, des clivages n'apparaitront-ils pas entreconseillers ~e ces pratiques communautaires et les genseux-memes ?
L'exemple de l'evolution des cooperatives ouvrieresde production doitservir : certaines peuvent demeurerexemplaires, cette pratique peut etre exemplaire pourresoudre un probleme de fermeture d'entreprise, mais leurexistence n'a pas modifie fondamentalement l'economiecapitaliste.
c) Le caractere le plus novateur de la notiond'ecomusee est -entre les definitions deja existantesd'associer les notions de pratique communautaire et decentre de developpement, mais il convient alors d'appelerun chat un chat, et d'ecrire que la notion de patrimoinetelle qu'elle est habituellement re~ue n'est plus la pierrede base, mais que celle-ci est :le passe, Ie present et Iedevenir de la communaute humaine et naturelle pour laquelleon travail Ie.
July 1983 - Juillet 1983Rennes - France Jean-Yves VEILLARD
10
Klaus SCHREINER, lilt SChwerin - GDR
S~poeiuml "Museum - territory - socie'y /Wew practices - new tendenoies-
In the invitation to our 13th General Con~erence under the ~heme
"lluseums tor 8 deTeloping world" the matter "how mulleume can bemade relevant particularly 1n rapidly changlng socletles- is term-
o
ed the key problem. The conference Ilhould alllO consider - as itgoell on - "what the customor wante and how the.e needs can beencouraged in eocletieo that huve not hitherto aade full ulleof museum resources.- I think it 1e oorreot and Deoe.s&r7 toreflect upon the 8f~ect1vene8. and the kind of our .UIl~ workand ot our museums and to adapt them to our preseat time. Theretore,we need new 1dea., new exper1ence., an4 new eo1eatlfio -use'loglc~
cOED1cance. J1istory teaches Uill museal oonception., functions, andinstitutional form II changed in the course o~ hi.tory corre.pond1~ to the developing leYel of the society, tbey altogether grew8e to their eocial importanoe and at present continue to profilethemealveB. New praotices. new idea•• and ne. tendencies in thesyetemof mu8eum came into existenoe during the recent yearll.No doubt tho important ideas and praotices of the Ilo-ealledecolllUlleumc rank with. which are rigbteouely adTocated with enthusiasm and energy by our oututnuding and hishl7-elltimated eolle&«11& and IDul'leologiBt Georges Henri Hi.,.1flI·e _4 numerou8 1ike.1nded poop1!!. On principle the qU61!1tion in my opinion is to combine musewft work and mueoum in a new way with the lite of thescciety and to Integr8t~ them multifariou81y in the social andnnturlll environment. I took elmilar conceptions of a modern syetem of rou neum from \yrj.l.l.ngB llnd discussions of numerous othercoilencul!a, r!.r:,. from the wr1.t Inf;O of our North-American colleap;ueG.Elliu rur::llw. for innl.llllce from l1in intereotlng article"Can r.illtory be too 1:1.\'<:1:;":'" (;9/30)
In our L'.uaeum of Agrnric-.I, }:letory ill Alt Schwerin, GDR. we a160
try to do n;u~eum work t" thia w,,'y. Hi th our experience of twenty
yearn I want to oTlUl!lertite Borne fnots., At the foundetion of thlfl
auseUlTl 1'96) we did not wnnt to build' up a looslly 1s01sted 1JlU
eeum, but to rinl! the experiment to establish a dec.ntral1eed
1 1
museum complex within a furth.r on exi.tiD« and liTely developing village of ou.r tJ.r1A. TI)'\6Y. after twenty years. we CQll aaywe were suecessful with this experiment. Villag•••useum. andagrieulture are fully integrated and form an eff.ctive unity.enpeclnll:; ,:oncerning the teaching and education of more than50 000 annunl vieitore. The little village itaelf has only :>00
inhabitants. The pessants and other villagers. however, had stillanother argument. 196}: they were afraid or"being musealiBed".there would be no further development. they would be "moth-ballt;d".Today the integration of the farmers in the museum ie hl~hly
advanced, for the eomplete life of the village is attentivelywatched by the visitors. fOnd the farmers tl'omselves do not onlyparticipate 08 museum guides. give explnnntions and information.but they themoel VCG· are integrated in thtl documentation and interpretation of the cxhlbitiollfJ 'N.; ti: the desGription of tJH;irliveB Rnd families or even aD livid reports and testimoniesof the pallt. Vice vereB the professional museo1ogists a.re multifariously integrated in the 80cial life of the village, in func~ions. a8 parliamentarians. aD 10a4ers and partiGipant. of cultural clubs, eports orgnnj~Btions.etc.
As to the erllibitlone we followed the principle to 1nte«rat•• ore than twenty various proper ~xhlbit. in the Tillac. 80 thatthe different b18torlc~1 epochG of the pat...4 their d1ffer.ntfields are topically confronted with the pre.ent buildings.establishments and rlnction. of the village. ~••ethod of eonfrontation makes it possible to the visitor. and particularlyto the youth to have an obvious compar~80n of pa.t and,presentti•••• and it Is very effective from pedagogioal view.Some examples of Buch practiced eonfrontation., authenticallyto the kind of dwelling of the people there are preserved notonl7 Tarioue re.idential bulldinge and flata with the completeinYentory from about~870, 1910, end 1949. but also continuou.lyfrom 1963. Automatically there are already inolud.d residentialco.plexes 1969/70 and 1980. and made obvious to the T1eitor.Wot only the former prlmit1Ye old one-farm-aohool froa aboute .1900 wae praerved and restored. but sleo the part. ot the new.o~ool of 1976 which were banded over to the au••ua a. a coaplexwith the eomplete inTentory. There are similar obTiou. oontron-
12
\
~aUon. iD the f1e1.4 Of the ....&1 ,"V'• •t tile -anftuhhtory. w. ocmtJ'Ollhd, for 1natu.o•• til tt-.l ecnr-1u plane of 1965 ud modern traotm ad 1wU7 .,..t._of the prennt agrloul turo with the variou•. ' ••eloping .taco_of form.r agrloul~ working in.be_t•• w. an14 a aer. teohnlo-ehow, but d.-on.trato tho 010•• oomaeotl_ ot the buaan. .b.iq 8114 hill .001al olrclDl.llano•• with the worJtiq in.tl'Wllentu4 the aachln.. 'l'h. qu••UOIl 1. the II8II1to14. o.pla: iDhsra1;101l of all 0OllP__t. ot the _001&1 .11f•• tor BYea iD the re.11117 of the .001al 11t. th.r. are ao~17 DO leolahcl, .ecrepte4. d.ad part•• OODlleqaeaU7 8\1.... &D4 ...... work o\llbtto be 01).10u.17 ud Y1Y1417 cODDeote4 with the pr••eat 1Ila7 ot
I
lU. u4 ought to jre.oUHll,. "n.., noh a ~1tJ' with nor •••rY.tion. Here I.e. a 4eoi.i.e ..... to 1Doreae~ the roleot 8\1.oua work ottoot1.017 tOJ: the benetit ot the .ool.t7, 8114at the same t1me to contributo to a grow1~ r ••p... ot 8\1.eologIst. and museums in our de.e10piDg world. That a.8I1. tor our.oi_tltle mueeeleglesl work to take iDto aooollDt tho role ofinterdi_clpllnarit7 aore iDtene1TelYJ tor .....t aot 4.t..4the _till neceseary uni41sc1p1iDar1ty unilateeal17. Interd1.
clpliDarlty 88 .ell .e unldleolpliDar1ty are 1a41.,...~bl.partn.re of a modern lIIuee1ml work.
July 1983Alt Schwerin - GDR
Klaus Schreiner
13
Manuela doMota, Li~boa - Portugal
, ,::LJS~',:;:; "TL,L:JTUl,,,- " SOCIETE
CommcntoircG Q propos des communications prepar6es
pour Ie r6union du Comit~ International de Mu~colo-
gie Londrcs 1903 - par Marie Manuela Mota, Conser-
vateur Principal au MusAe C. Gulbenkian, Li8bonne-Portugal
Ayant re~u avec beaucoup de retard les~~ommuni
cations ct les cammentaires qui m'ont At~ envoy6s par
Vinos Safka au moment 06 Je me trouvais en france,avoc
mes ~llivos do muscologie,en visite d'IHude; aux ~lus~es
de ce pays, je n'ai disposli que de quelques jours pour
reflexir sur Ie contenu de ces importants articles.
Ce m~mc voyage, Qui m'a permis de visiter en
-detail 17 Mus~es at Organismes musliaux, ~changeant des
points de vue evec les responsables. m'a cependant permis,
avec plus d'assurance,de donner mon opinion sur Ie probl~
me des £comus6es.
Je rcgrette que des difficult6es d'ordre professio~
ncl et mctcriel m'emp~chent d~ participer beet important
d6bat mais jo tiens ~ y apport~r ma collaboration promise •
•• •
~ L'6vantail des communications est tr~s riche at
reflecte dans sa totalit~ l'importance incontest~e que
l'£cologie a pris dans toutes les branches de la eonnais
sence. II est souhaitable que cheque jour un plus grand
nombre d'hommas, femmes et anfants compreane at accepte
que 10 Nature est un systh~me global auquel ll(humain)
appartient at que,les Lnt8vactions mutuelles 6tant de
touto premibre importance pour la sur vie des es~tces, taus
les efforts doivent atre entrepris pour que l'llur.lanitO
porticipe consciamment ~ Ie sauvegarde du mer veilleux equi
libre naturel. Les Hus~es sont, sans doute, des instruments
de ch~i= pour l'Oducetion mesologiquc •
•• •! Ayont lu 1u tatzlitc des th~ces et c~s cOwmentaires
Jc cmnstatc 4uC les opinions se divisent entre ceux quiacceptant l'ocomus6e tel quo G.H.Rivibre l's d~rini', et
14
CCUX Gui doutcnt ~uc GuclquBs experiences 1s016e5 5ufisent
pour r~irc ~ccoptcr un nouveau typo de Kus~e. Ou premier cOt~
se rang~nt ~calbcrt, Desvzl16es at Collin, de l'autre cOt~
Strfns:,y, Hual, ct Schneider.
L'ecologioto invitO, Terradas, qui, de par sa profes-·
sion, n'ost pas submerg~ par la problemetique museologique,
nous donne une d~finition tr~s claire at precise de Ie
science ecologique laquelle"s' occupe de l' 6tude des irlteract ions
des ~tres vivants entre eux et avec'leur.milieu physico
-chimique" (pg.Bdossier vert) 11 ajoute encore qye "dans las
ecosYEltbmes ou l'llomme a un rOle ••• il y a un determinisme
socioculturel" (pg.9) ce qui signifie que l'-homme, de per
son activit6 pout alterer la cours das fluxes 6 l'interieur
des syst~mes.
Pert ant de cette notion de determinisma sociocultural
on voit apparaitre en france un gonflement dengereux de
l'action des mus6es a l'i'terieur d'un ecosyst~me '._ ... et il
est affirm6 que Ie mus6e doit se soucier du developpement d'une
population donn~e dans ses dimensions culturelles, sociales
et (m~me) economiques (Scalbart, pg 34, dossier vert)
Cette id6e dangoreuse vient du fait que des ecomus6e
se sont implant6~dans des r6gions en voie de perdre leur entit6
sociale et economique et ant done pris Ie rOle d'anges gar
diens de populations en detresse. Terradas confirms l'impoB
sibilit~ de cetto id~e quand il dit que l'ecolog1e est seule.
men~ l'anato~ie et la physiologie des ecosisth~mes et que
"~outes tentatives pour transposer les concep~s de l'ecolo-
gie directement dans les sciences sociales ont ~chou~" (lsLLre
a Vinoi Sofko 27!7/R3)
•• •~ Quelques auteurs pretendent aussi voir un antagonisme
entre MUS08 et [comos~e (Str~nsky remer que Bussi cette id~e
dans son co~~ent2ire). Au premier ils veulent eonferer une
notion p6rim6c, stotique, tourn~e vcrs un pass6 qui se com
pose d'cbjcLs morts, attribuant ~ l'6utre,1e dynanisme de
l'ar.alyse du p~6scnt fait surtout a base d'id6es.
Cst-ce ~uc cct antagonisme existe en r~alit6 ?II est curieux de rappeJer que l'id6e d'ccomus6e est n~e
en france at cc sont des conservotours fran~ois sos plus
"lnt:,ou::;iGstcs defc-nsC'urs dons les th~scs ici presentes.
D::ns 110 rcccntc visits aux ~us6es de france j'ai pume rendre tr~s nCLtamont compte qu'il n'existe pas dans ce
15
~8YS ure fO]'m~tion mUDcologiql!o pour :~S CenEcrv~tcurs de
r.us(e. Co :;urlt con S(:/iS'l.:Jl de!; spccio':'::'stcs ct des in\:cstir~
tours dans differents domaines scientifiquos tels quo:
histoirc, beaux-arts' archeologio,othnologie, histoire na
turelle, otc, qui no s'interessent que tr~s faiblement
~ l'exposition, commun~cation et conservation des colletio,s
plutot considerfis comme taches socondaires.
00 cepoint do vue decoule la Guestion,renouvel~o ~
chaque reunion de ce Comit~, A savoir si la museologie
est ou n'cst pas une science. J'ai eu l'occasion.d'expo-
ser ~ Paris, lors do 10 rounion du Comit6 Inter~~tional de
T':useologie, on 1982, monp:lint de vue ~ ce sujot,.qui,en re
sume,a demontre qu'il y a non sBulement une science museolo
gique, mais uussi una para-museologie qui BSt constitu~e
par l'etude des techniques et, encore plus impoitan~, 11
y a une meta-museologie qui etudie les rapports entre les
differents syst~mes de ~us~es.
Quand la museologie fait defaut aux conserveteurs de
musees, ceux-ci deviennent figes, mornes; collections sans vie
qui ne reveillent pas asse~ la curiosite du public.• •
4 L'id6e d'acomusee est surgie, dans ce contexte comme
une bu6c de sDuvetage contre l'immense ennui de l'lnstitution
mUGeale. G.lI~ f1ivi~re et son etonnant dynamisl:l2 ne pouvaient
se contenter de cet 6tat de choses at dans son desir de
renouveau.c'est tout l'univers qu'il a voulu mettre dans
Ie mus~e reinvent~~ l'ecol:lusee. Cependant, ~largissant trop
la portee des mots on risque de perdre son contenu;
Est-ce que l'ecomusee est un mus~e dclat~ ou un musde
qui vole en eclats ?
L'~xperience des ecomusees es~ d6j~ mOrie par plus d'un:
douzaine d'annees; les bans et les mauvais cOt~s mis en evi
dence,une "museologie nouvelle"na!t en France pour laquelle
tout mus~e contient,dans ses collections.la graine de vie
et de cOl:lmunication,pourvu qu'une ~Quipe de conservateurs
~l:luseoloaues, onimateurs, metteurs en sc~net dessinateurs
et ~utres, trcvaille ensemble et sacha mettre ~ profit les
fods du mus6c, Ie terrain dan~ leque: il s'ins~rc, Ie po-
pulAtion intcrcss1e ,qui el1c aussi.est appellee a
~onncr ~~ contribution. c£ ~U~2G ~c~~i;~ Ci. ~~~: ~emps
Itl' cbomi,,;:;~~C' J,o;nm",-touriste" qui fi:oclement ne cherche,
lei _, r;~1'2 r:Jic:u;.; C:Jr,na1:tro Ie rays qu'il tr,"v~rse.
16
lc r':::ul (.I"i e"i"tc t"~j~ par rapport -:lUX prcl;licro DCC,·'
~US~CD pcrmet de ju~~r dOD r~sultats at il cst damage qulon nopuiese pas voire cette analyse sur les rapports present~s~
D'apr6o cc que j'ei pu observor sur place, un certaindesancllante.mElOt l!l rcmplad! l' enthousiasma et l' optimisme dud~but. ~UClquDS ecomu5~es, une fois Ie terrain de recherched~blay~, sc voyent transform~s en institut et laboratoirepour biologucs, ethnologues, sociologues etc: Pourquoi elorevouloir l'appeller Mus~e, s'il est devenu tout eutre chosB ?
Peut-on demander un effort soutenu au fil des enri~es ~ une
population, mOmc plcine de bonne volont6 ? je doute~
Et nous retrouvons Ie conservateur seul face ~ une tacheenorme qu'il ne peut pas mener comme il 1 avait rAv~•
•• •
~ Au dire de Veillard la finalit~ de flnstitution Mus~e
~tant celIe dt~tre des eveilleurs de conscience collectivepour une meilleure gestion du devenir de notre pleb~te (pg.
"'\60, dossier vert), -&lgr~ que l'ecalogie soit ~ l'ordre dujour,je ne creis pas souhaitable que tous les mus~es deviennent des mus6es ~colegiques. L'Oeuvre d'Art, la vraie, ason message propre,et comprsndre et simer la beautd est sussiun eveille de consciencej' ainsi je m'~loigne de StrAnsky
quand il d~fend une orientatio1Fcol09ique pour tous les mus~e$;
(pg.3) 5i je ns suis pas d'accord avec l'ecomus~e commeun nouveau type de mus~e)je suiscependsnt tr~s pour uneprogramation de type ecologique dans la plupart des mus~es
ou pour des expositions temporaires, fixes ou itinerentss,
qui sauront presenter la realit~ visible dans l'object-te
moin qui forme sss collections, integr6edans les grands
s;st§mes §cologiques
Tous les Mus~es ant leur terroir at leur population.
11 faut savoir Iss trouver et le~ evelller
Ce sera dans leurs prcgrammes et leur dynamisme qu'ilsse doivent de chcrder J.a participation des populationsaux probl~mes culturels e mesologiques.
,".
17
~. Pour ter~incr,je resume ma pens~e en affirmant
que Ie conccpt-m@me de mus6e est tr6a clair, sufisament
flexible pour couvrir une typologie vari6, maie qu~a cependant
des limites qui pcrmettent de 1e distinquer per rapport ~
d'autre~institutionsde culture.
L'ecomue~e a tendancB
un autre type d'institution
Cesar ce qui est ~ Cesar at
qui leur appartient.
Juillet 1983Lisboa - Portugal
a depas8er ce. limites devenant
culturs11s. lalssons done !
donnons aux Mus6es 1e grande tache~.
Manuela da MOTA
18
Tomislav Sola, Zagreb - Jugoslavia SUMMARY
"L'i0lllUsee assure lea fonctions de recherche, conservation,
presentation, explication d'un eusemble coherent d'elements
naturels et cultux'els, representstifs d'un milieu de vie et
de travail. 11 exprime, pour un territoire, les relations
entre l'homille et 1& uatQra ~ travers Ie temps et l'lespaqe;
11 se compose de biens d'interet scientifique at culturel
reconnus, rerreeentatifs du patrimoine de la co~aute qUil
Bert (biens imwobiliers non batis, espaces naturels sauvagee,
espaccs naturals h~anises; biens immobiliers batis; biens mo
biliers; biens fon~ib1es). 11 cow?l'end: un chef-lieU, siage
de, sea stl'ucture.s lQaj eures (accueil, reche:!:'che, conservation,
presentation, action cll1ture11e, administration, notamment un•ou des laboratoires ·-'e tAl'rain, des orga~es de conservation,
des salles de re"!1ion. ,m atelier socic":ulturel, un hebergelllent •. ),
des parcours et 'JeR stations rou!' l'observation du territoil'e
concel'ne, ':i.ff't;~'r)nts elemen.ts al.'chitecturaux, archeologiques,
geoloeilJ"es .•• sienal€'s 8t e:>....,Uqve:'1. n dst l:l.1.s en place et
fonctionne avec 1a paL,tic.L~)ation de 1a population qui y trouvs
un llIoyen de ;'I'ise de conscience et ti' expression de son patl'illloinc
et lie son 'le'lelop;pelQent."
Definition de l'ecoillusee adoptee en 1978 par la Conference
permanente des pares."
(quotation frow HI.'. ;jeavalees' contribution)
19
Ltl ecoml4S4it>s Va P'GIflCl supplCmcntaire a Cte ac:oornpli ave<: l'ero"llUit • in"aJU' parHlII- de VariDe ct o.oraa·Hcnri Pjviere qui. dana Ie mime esprit, va CIlCClR
phil loin en intearanl non lCUIanent lei habitantl, viaiteun dcvenus acteun.PlII'ti<:ipant i la vie du mua«., mail nUili l'ticoloaie de la rqion rurale au industrielle qui I'environnc, marquant aina; une eupe fonda.ma1t.a1e par rapport aumusile de plein-air du siec:le demier. •c lnierdiKipliDaire par excellence, it combine un mut«: du Temps debouo:h&I1tlut 'a prospective awt elements eclares d'un musee de J'Eapacc '.Un ec:omusee, c'est un mimir ou ectte population se retude. pour I'Y reconnaitre. ou elle cherche I'explication du territoire auquel elle est altachec,jointe.celie dea populations qui I'y ont precedCe dans la dillContinuite ou la coatinuitedes lena-Ilions. Un miroir que celte population tend. SCI hOles. pour I'en fairemielu comprendre dans Ie respect de IOn travail, de !itS componementl, de IOnintimite.C'est un musCe de l'ho:nrne c: de la nature. L 'homme y est inurprete danl IOnmilieu naturcl. La nature rest dans sa lIuvAicrie, malS tdle ausai que la aoc:ietetradilionnelle et la societe industrielle l'ont adapcCe a leur ulliC.Cest un musCe du temps, quand l'explK:ation rcmonte en~ du temps ou"homme cst apparo, s'etalle Ii travers lea temps preniaturiq\ll"..s et biatoriquClqu'il ,. "eeus, debouche sur Ie temps qu'il "iL Avec: unc ouvcnute sur la tempsde demain, sans que, pour mutant, I'ecom...ee Ie POle en dec:ideut, mail, elf I'oc·currence, joue un role d'information et d'analYIe critique.
Un mus« de I'cspace...Un con!lCl'\'atoire, dane la meallre "Ii il aide i pre.erver ct i IIICnn en valeur Iepatrimoine de culture et de DIlIlle de II population CClIlOmIie.Un labomtoire, dans la mesure ou iI eat ni&liCre • Ctudu tbeoriqua III p"'asi'lues, autom' de c:ettc population cot de son miliw.Une eeole, dans la me,ure oli iI aic!4! A In forlllation dca apec;,liltel im.Ci I. icette populalion el • 10ft milieu, ou ii incite c:ette populetioG • mice appri:.dcr lei problem<:5 de ron jX'OPre Ivaiir.Ce conserv:ltoire, « laboratoire, ceue Coole z'in!piroIIt de pnnapca c:cmmun. : la culture doni ;l~ &<: recl_t est i et'tcndrc ~ 10ft MIll Ie r;thlliarp. ctils s'att.cllent il en f.ire r~tre lIS d.piu '1t I'upreuion Qttistiqve, lkquclquc couche de Iii population qu'en anlMllt la manifestation.. Dn DC ,'en,ferment pas en ewt·nWmea., ils ~i..,e"l et dot!nrnL • (G.H.Il.)
l'ecomusee du Creusot·Moo:ou,,·Iu-HiDa CIt typiq\lC • cet tprrI, fCII'IlIIIIUtllix-huil communes de III ~ion. Veritable IPfIIde ic/ali, i: qic CI!I cMbon de _murs en constituant un rescau d'antennes diveni8ia ct deccatraliMa, lie il'hi'toire socie.le et lUX prOoccllplltionl des babitUlII : muD: de Ia Vip ovrevitalilltion d'unc tuiieric llaalfcctec, il peut _i rwiser un JlC'OITconoac:re. en pleine rCaion "inioole. • la vie muaulmllne pollr un gand IIOtIIbred'ouvriers tures employes par une indultrie locale. U est lul1Dilt Ie muaee vivar.tde 11lomlr'e industriel, et pri:lentc touta la phass de SOD travail. ranlCri damson contexte, dans I'Atelier des arues et lCK:Omoti"ea (,OJ au Centre de lec:ture cIeIpaYSlies.
-----------_._---------
20
To :10 a cOi'J~~ila.thll;..ti..::· t ".'_'''''''1' all earlY task but I didn't
find it 80: sO::le of the qut~,ol.·s"tre known authort ties and it
proved to be Ii diffi0ult task to reinterpret what has been sa
well put. However, I 2rcfered an active attitude, 80llletilllea
arbitrary as a"compilatio'~" proved to be also a matter ot 'f&
loriz.atian of contri.butio!ls. Compared to the po.itive amqunt
ot theoreti~al and practical data about new ideas an&a~co.-·..,
pliiJ.hments i.n museum world, some contributions appeax.ed to be
inadequately informed, and the. mere task of summing it all up
appeared unattractive. ThuB I .. ,lar~d to call upon Bome other
authoriti elS anl;. alided ,ny (,,·m ideas where I found it possible
and convenient t.o tile subje,'t matter. Therefore, thi's paper is,_
unfortunately, not a repol·t on seven presented papers 'but ~ittle
lIIo1'e,-01' less, as tile judge,uent is left to you. ~ere is however
• one thing for -.uicn I count on all your generous unders'taD.ding:
lI1'1 poor knOWledge of this beautiful language is a limiting tac
tor of understanding and a1 so was 'in Wl':l. tine; the ideas down •
.. I t1'ust the need and intention .to have this opprotunity used
to;Q clarifying the l)heno:~enology of ecoinuseUlllS as cODllfH:ted to
ecology. It is also a good idea to strenghten the int~d1sci
plinary character of museology'by inviting.experts or specific
science to give thei!; interpretation ortha p&r:ticu-
1ar. science, ecology in this case, and its connection to IllUseWis.,.In that sense I appreciateu the contribution of Mr~ Terra~.'
and will retu:'n to it.
21
I must say I was afraid of such a broad instruction as given
by the title of the symposiu~ and vas soothed when it proved
to b·e the eCOIDl.lSeums, as the theme. In the first ca.ae we :would
have contribut~ons of infinite variety wbi.~etha latter gi"f'es
opportunity of useful discussion. However, one muet S&y tha~ it•
v~d be hard to expect any revol~tionary novelty within the
th.me aa the whole matter was sufficiently well trea~ed ., rare
The theme seems to me the one bearing the moat pr06re,.~iv•. pa.'rt
or contemporary lIIuse'~ practice and IDuseology so, I see it,as
an ideal circumstance for all the participants to serve t~8e
aims.' Important opportunity is also the spreading.at in!oraati
on and concept an,; ·}achint:; so:ne shared conviction that th~,
id~a of.ecomuseum has in conseq~ence, a revolutionary value.
l1aJ:l.y of you will find tilat the ecology is not the moet .illlpor
tent part of eCOt:lUSecllD thewe. IJith an exception of Mr. Terradl1s·.
two other contributions (Str'anslcy, Schneidel') were overburdened
with ecology wi thin ecomus~u!u phenomenon. However. the. approach
was. suggested by the disposition of the symposium which put Bome.overweigQ.t on ecological a;pl'oach.
To Mr. 'l'erraaas' oppin.ion the only theoretical advantage ot
ecology comes from its ability to bring about some concepts like
the concept of eco-syatem: that enables us "to find ourselves, .
once again at the analysis of systems and it opens us a gate
~o:W&$.·ds the hope that the pl'ogressive integration of specific'
s~enti!ic disciplines will come through in some~argedmodel ••• "
22
In a general sense the following ....otation from !'lr.Terrad8e'
paper brings us ne&per to discussing the nature of &comuseums:
"The need to transre!.' t",e information and knowledge and to'...make then more sensibilized i~ an emotional sense ~hich takes
us fl'om pedagogy toward s ~ctive an int erdi sciplinar;r methods,
haa to be supported for the muse,uns too". ECO!llUS8Ul11ii can,•
indeed, boast of such an abilit:;r. If we follow the de?elOppll8'llt. . .
01' the theme in r~·. Terradas' paper, museums are there atth.
third posi tion~ not a Uluseum professional) and 'lt~ l;i.ke· to••
think about them occupying the first position: it fa 'not that
musewns can ~lso do something about it but they can do more
than ot;lers <::an; ;::ven i r the keel,i.ne; of the eCQ'logical balmc.::
isc.onsidted a central ~:'o1;lel:i. ~jr. Stransq is alao warnine;
that "the ecolo£;ica1 af"l'l'o'H·.h to the reality is very urgent~
(the reason ~)eing "critic".l situati.on of mankind") but,. again"
we do speak aLJout COl"rect t!1(~~es I well exposed. bu·t eco-!Aua~.
theme is not the most ap:""'o~)~'iate frame ...'hen identified with
""""ecological" ecO-WUaeIUJS ;"re obviously something els"Mhat is
why tlIWl.. i-11' • .:>tran8k:;r says tilat "e;eneral ~c()logical approach to
the rea!~ty shouln be differentiated•••• from ecology as such••• "
Concentrating bis thinkint; too f.il·mly on ecol0l5:1. 'Mr. StrlLllllk;y
assumes that ecological orientation of a museum, means, althougt
not forcefully, a conversion into an sco-museum.
,E. Schneider calls his paper a qontribution "to the' discussion
about so-called eco-UI"-..lseum" wbier. all believers of eCO-lIUleUilS, ,tnvevitably take in bad part,because or that auSpicious tone
atter so much effortlanrl in so many yeers.
23
The contribution of l'l':l:. Haak from AIlIsterdaJll Historical IllUseum
is a precious witnessing of a nevoted museum director ot AOw
the museum was established and run but it misses to treat'the
'precise problemiadicated 5ive~bY the title.
Founding ecomuseums:
"The iniciative (for founding an eco-museum, note T.S.} ,istht','
tact of a group ••••within ~~ original s~ructure, difte#eQt in
every case". That is what Nr. H. de Varine says ,abO~t t~undill8
an ec~-museum 1. ~e &.all s~latter on how import'ant trutn. it
takes into account.
fu·. 'ieillard (~olJlllli.ng from Rennes may be taken as a relevant•
he knew the specificy ot.
a Psynthetical· mus~um (museenet~ork 5.5
"to be an invitation to discovery, which
vi tness to the r-om.ing Il}l '11' ec.:o-:auseums: "Georges Henri Rivi.re
created, aftel' the secon~wo!.'ld war, in 1946-47, an :idea of the
network of tlleluatic and area museums (orig.: musees de themes
et de pays) for each region w!licil
The firm point of U.at. ,
de synthese) which has
tl'acee out the link oetween t:le ilistOl'y of certain region,
people that live and work tilere and their environment". Georges
Henri even gay£; a plan.of !)EH'L1anent exb.ibit'ion: trOll evocation
of natural cO'!lcii tions 11I' to "ont eIllpora~:y S1. tuation. Onl, 'much
la.tter (1958-1960.) wa; "ilorges Henri liiviel'e able to make con
crete his ideas. The ~roject was ~lunicipal Museum or Bre~e
in Rennes. fu'. Terranas is ObJ;~SlY qui~e right "hen eoncluding
24
that _ each "lnvil'onJDent, as a loethod of its valori.8ation, should,~e have in leimea i.e.create "a coherent presentation". '.Jhat
. ',. . "basically a coherent presentat1on.
Mr. COLLIN claims that some ten years time is necessa~7 for
an eco-museum to be in functioninG (the example of Mont Loz~re
confirms the fact). According to him a vast and p~~to~d rese-o •
arch is at the begining of that process. The research of eTery
~spect of ~~ritage, with the present included, must lead to aa
pert'ect p«ux'e as possible. It always and n~c.~ssarily is: a te&lll-_.work. The work 1s of a special profoundness as l~includ.~ the
balancing all kinds of data sources into a trust'wO~1:b;r iage111.<..11_
ot the total enviro~ent. Thus. says that the oral tradition,
even when it does not have a scientific basis has to be ine1u
ded and presented being the l'elevant_ featurIe of the cultural
context. Finall~, all the specialist contributions in the esta
blishing an eCO-:D'.lset:..J ~ave to be tl'anslated into B. "ne~anguage"by the help of nmuseol5:L'a~,hy" that has to be "clear, concise,
atractive, va"ip-d II.
'!'he ~a.per of r-lr. Collin is ~'l'eseDted under the title ~Q-museum
or Mont-~o1.ere" but, harrily enough he speaks about eco-museu:n
in gsneral and the testiwony, lis ;,e is the curator in ~!ont
-Lozere, more then is ~~acious. I ~ouJi therefore recommen~t
as a reference to anybody eRtablishing an eco-museum ar taking
it serious matter as it is.
I believe we Olrie till tile cOlllI,liments also for the contribution
"ECOlDus8ums" by I1r.Jesvallees, Mothel' account or veIl acquain
ted museologist. He traces the history at the rise of ec~eums.
The term was created by Mr. de 'larine, as he simplifies and the
25
whole idea, the concept, as it was already mentioned, by 11r.
Rivi~re. According to Mi'.Desvallees there were two phases in
the creation of ecoamseU.IJs. The first was creation•. troll 1967.
onwards, of regional natural pares. In order to protect and
document various segments of ecosystems they were added difte
rent museum objects. This b~tself helped to widen the ~ure
ecological concept and in 1968. on the island ot Oueeeant a
"house of techniques and tradition. ouesaantine" _.Open~
to becollle thus, as i·lr.Desvallees reters lIa station of the first
eco lIIuseum in France". Under the second phase ot the ~velop
ment ot the ecomuseum concept he puts the appearance of an
ecomusewn wi thin the frame of "urban connmity ot Creueot•
Montceau-les-~lines". That was in 1971, as Mr. Desvallee8 tels
us. The museum was lIa cultural establishment that wanted to be
much closer to the population than traditional mueeums- and
which would "substitute the notion of permanent collection by
that of community heritage ll -term taken form, as Mr.Denallees
quotes, ~lr. de ~arine. It is the latter, Mr.Riviere and Mr.
Evrard that "denotc<i most clearly the charactel' of an ecomuseum
and who made Creusot the principal reference model". To Mr.
Deevalees the sythesis of the two phases happened et the rOOM
cOloqUium in LollI'marin in 1972. when the first definition ot
ecomuseum was adovted. 11r. Desvallees wight be easily right
although I find the thesis rather too silllple. I.t' indeed. Mr•. '
Riviere stal'ted with the variaticns of the ecomuseum concept
as early as late forties and the r'!useum of Bl'eta6Ilecan be.. ,.;~
regal'ded as one of those projects anticipating the final vel'sion,
the tillleofsytheSiS appears to be rather late if it happened in
1972. Besidrls, is it not again putting too mucr. stress upon eco26
logical as::;>ect of thp. story if it 5eems loe;ical that the
l'egional natural parcs ~'_ ,jf".c ted froUl the "Acoilluseum" concept,
the one that resultt:lL1 in Creusot Uluci1 before the Creusot was ~nally
born? The question lnay not be really impol'tant bQt stresses
the markation line betveen ecology and ecocuseums in which
the first is only one awong a few aspects of the latter. Mr.
de Varine, on his part, says that the first ecomuseum (Creusot
Montceau-les-I-lines) was accolllplished in 197;. If the date of
birth is correct this sY!~r>0sium has an obligation more. It is
interesting !'act t~1at ;'lI.'. '!arine li at s only two more ecomuseums
as "real" ones: St Quenti!! en Yvelines and Beauvaisis. Among
these institutions sti.ll trying to reach the standard he lIIenti-•
ons Valee ue l'OndaL:e, ;endee, Suj-Avesnois ect. That was the
•state of affail'p.s i:1 1'="':'8. so it wo"ld be intel'e~ting to know
the cl.anges. iiaving a vel'Y ~lear ~>icture 'Jf what an ecomuseUln
should be OIlt! may find t'l e &lOrt 1i st use ful. :Iow.lver, tLe nlILl1:,e~'
<io:.;,bt.
theoretical , a .. k(:t"· '0 Ul": • .,...,.,.u C...v.L I '.~) ~'-.. '.) ," well tilat tile ~l1lseologi0al
of eCOIllUSe'lln ': ...s pl':::co:",d.,nts. ;1:!:. St':"i:U1sk'J tri8.1 to enlis'i; ~(j"i';
of the past ar;C~li:'lk"''''lli;.1 that contextuali7e the idea.
27
Th" terl'itory constant- ,
Thjteversp. order of the title of the symposium would make
sense as it WQuld S.'10W that a museum is the "consequence" of
the other two elements. The territory itself as ~~.»e8Valees
says io " t:l" one where 3. certain cultural identification
makes sense". ,;'0, 0:1 t:.e ,"efiniD8 the cultural element we lIIal'k
the s~'read (,f CU1 p.colDuseul1' s territoral aspect.
Tne 'cent:'a1 if'lsne of an e,::o!lluseUlu ill, like wit}, all the muse-'
ums (only ;~ore c1~al.'ly), - the identity. Even the ecological
catastrophy, whi~h a f~w contributors mention (as fundaaental
beac!tg!'oun(! ~10tiva), 1)1i5i.::ally is the identity crisi.l.hroug!l
the total <.:hange 'of li f~ circwastances. An eCOl/lUseum is the
newest, the w0st effective con~ept of systelDathic fiEWt for the
identi ty of tile cel'tai.rl whole, ac,~()t'di.ng to its natural and
cultural specificulD. It is a reafirmation of collective ego,
collective conscience, of .::ollecti.ve sensibility. ThinS' do
~ange• .As t1:e global w1.l1age stSl:tCJ to experience the fear
of disssterolAs lmifol'Lmldss,. the concept' of the world's citi
zenship undergone so'ue euanges wh.i.ch may b.¥slled the unity of
diversities.
One of the flmda~enta1 few rlefinition e1e~ents of an ecolDUseum
that of the territory is found as such by Mr.7eillard: "~e
terlll'territol'y'is linked to that of f!COlilUSeUlll which always is.'
defined as haviD8 a luultudisciplinsl'y approach to the relations
ot the people to tha.t terri tOl·Y". :ZcolDUseUllls of urbc. environ
ment (if we accept that prOVisional term) i.e. neighborhood mu
seums have rather similar territorial ambitions and obey the
same logic. 28
Innovation of ecomuseums
Judging by the contributing authors and by the possible ques
tions one likes to pose. the good point of discussion still is
the innovation of eCOilluseuws as compared to the traditional
IIUseum concept •
......e S'till find it difficult to CO"l~)l'ehend the term ecomussum
because the word "ilIUSel!ill" is not conceived fox' the public as
much as tor a closed site evoking the facts of the past. The
eco~useum is a living Jced intimately mingled into the everyday
life, - opened towards the future because it mean~ territory
with its inhabitants, their activities, their natural and cultu
ral heritage" (Mr. GGllin). Tl.'ue aifferentiation, but one cottle.•
go further: eCOliluseUlfi:; are the Juainstream of the museum ;:,'evoLt-
tion; tradi tic,nal !:Iuseu,ns have 3.CCCJ;J9Ii s:CeJ their lai. ssion and
(as tlle concc9t) !nost of the..} can be only an obstacle for the
fut'~l'e (net to "se i;f_e G:O;'j;)19~r")-It:-i.sl(:;'1..... - - - -- - -- - .../
word of progress) •
',o/h.er- we concluO:le tl~at the biggest: I fa.,ol'3 !~useums were the autco-
lIIe of the :)restigeous cultural progralllllle (among other things)
just another step ["ul'ther g;.ould be made: they al'e tyl'anic mo
dels to be obeyod and effective instrwnents of cultural supremacy_
Andrthis is not in the natl.lre of the museum idea as we accept it.
Unlike those, an ecomuseul1 is not ment for the prestigeous repre-
s8ntation but for the usage. Mr. veillard C&ll"'f.. museum
"Musee de combat" lIhich says enough about its attitude and the l'ole
within the eommunity. The particulal' one, I happt.ll to lmow it, is
not a museum iIlent to fascinate a turist (eerving the national glory;
29
but to arris8 and serve interest.
"The apparititon of ecology as science put up a necessity for
a new mean of lllUseographicaJ. presentation that wow.c. be uaing
all the means of ~ossible analisys to reach the most aa.ti.tac
tory synthesis", (G.Collin). The new mean is eco3Useum. ~re
e%p1icitly than this authoL', Mr. 'l'erradas and Mr.Stransk;r put
an equality sign between sOlJe "ecological" museWD and eeollll1seUlD.
The point has teen discnssed already, but, again, the whole
matter of ecomuseu:a .tumbles over that identification.
Speaking abont cl~al'(l,.:tel'i!:'t:i.cs of eCOllluseUCI concept, as oppo8Ad
to the tradit5_onal on.e, ;·u'. !)esvalees says that the objects of
ecomuseuw are all the clewents of certain territory hecause
"ecomuseum ex:,resse', for certain territory, the relation. bet-
ween man anri nature !;in'oughout ti.:ne and space". Latt e1' on he
adds tnat "tJ->e r,ct;vities of an eco!.JI.;senl!l are applied to a
coherent ansamble of astural and cuI tUl'al element s of a certai~
millie\.( of life and w'Jrk", and also that; an ecolllHseulll" is instlU-.
lIed' al'l.d fWlcti.ons with a ~.'a:.'ticipation of the ;opulation that
finds there Ii :.Ileau of takin{; into conscience and. the e%p'f.'ession
or its pl'o::,>el' jleritat;;e and its development". Like Mr. de Varine,
i'fr. Desvalees speaks abollt the adar:tibil1ty of the eC014Use'.1IIl to
serve ui!'fe:'ent intel'est groups of population. ~h·. de Varine.'
lists sOllle otiler innovative characteristics too: refusal ot
institutionali ~ation, l~ethod of work that fllvourilles action
makiD6 it 11receed the research. invention of "x>ed&i;Osie of
30
development that speaks the language ot things". ~s to th~
inovation ~h·. de Varine says "it can be considered that every
ecomusewn is totally innovative••• " meaning that it is eJ.vays
created for the absolutely specific circumstances. Latter on
he refE'trs to the present. situation: "It is likely that ecoau
sewn is not any more a real innovation: it is being ass~lated
by the institutional system••• "
Be that as it may the ecolDuseum concept makes finally possible
th!3 transfer of t1:e Inuseological and museum experience to the
so called "thi1'1 world rt. So fal' the export of the european mu
seu;n concept (ICade n\'lOrld' s") was a rather humiliating know-.-how as it was axcll!..'1i vp.ly aJ:lplicable where it comes from or
within the fr'ame vf a cultu.ral colonisation, if yOll allow the
11berty.
?he deJini1;iol1
rhe enth'e (JeCinition is Given enclosed to tilis paper. Shoul<1
thel'e be any disCllssion on t1le thewe and on the very nature of
ecomusewns this s~nposium is the occasion. That was also felt
by sOCle of the contributors.
Museums are the mirror of the complexity of the universe. The
. richness of the typology is such that "it becomes sometimes
difficult co find o:;t COlJllllon denominators to all these models"
(A. Desvalees). :lot/ever, Qlle Ulay rishtly feel that eCOlQuseUIIlS are
still a new phenolfienon, ba$ would expect sOllle dilem'irs solved.
Mr.Schneide~ asks how to call that "more or lsss new type of31
a IDUseum: ecological museum or ecoiDuseum". '::0 the author' 5
oppinion "it i3 iml)Ossible to proclaim the ecological museum
a special, new type of 1l1;.J.seum".
'J'llether ~lr. o.e 'larine is right or not, not l~any U1Useums are
justified to beaL' the '~e of ecomuseum. For those others ~.
Veillard also doubts objecting them that "they do not pose the
question of tile "finalite sociale" of our institutions, n_ely
the one of waking up collective conscience for some better mana
gement, - in the noble meaning of the term, - of the evolution
or our Planet". 111' Iieevallees might add: •••• "mere vaJ.orizat1on
of certain architectural and mobile whole cannot bear the name
of .ecomuseum".•
Even within the institutions that many would accept as ecomu
seums, a radical rosition, like that of Mr. de Varin., sees
clear distinction between a development ecomuseum on one side
(as the real one) and a natural park ecomuseum on the other.
The definition of the first is the shortest definition of eeo-
museum: "'Devel0l'ment eCOJ:l:useUDl is an instrument of education
and mobilisation of lively forces of a popUlation with an aim
of global community dev~lopment, from community itself, 1~'
heritage, its environment, - from its economic, soeial and cul
~ pl'oblfllllS ". On the cO!1trary: "i'fatural park ecomuseum is.'
nothing but the va~·la."t of an open ai~' L1USCum, .or a park lDUseum
(otig. maison -::'e pare) of the totally institutional na.ture-.
32
Geo~.'ge. Henri Rivi ere has "l'edef'ined" ecol11Usewn a tew times
already improving each til:le the accuracy of' definition (one
o! them, not 1;he latest, is enclosed to this paper).
Comming l~ with the conce2t of universal competence, having
practically everything as a legitimate task, the de~in1tion
ot eCOIIIUSelUG became so allembl'acing that it remindll of tj:le
one of art. T:!:lose defini tons do not prescl'ibe neither methodo
logy nor the content but establish seneral attitudes, princi
ples anc eX?ectations. Being so wide in approach, the concep
tion of eCOlllu.. elllll ceases to be doctrinaire, inviting to inno
vation an'i incH viullal a;;>proach. ·I'lle definition is not a lIet ot
I~les (that enables anywhere an eaey reconstl~ctionot the
ideal ;Jodel), but it is a whole new way of' thinld.ng, a new..senllibility to the entire life environment in its spacial and
telllporal <ii lIIensions. 'i'he ideal ecomuserun is not the one that
would t" in :..,el'fect harUJony wi th a definition but the one that
haI'inonizes .'el'fectly \'lith tlle needs and characteristics of its
.IlI'oper Sl)aciv-tern~,oral cOlllplexi ty. It~ total approach of 8
total lIIuseum.
The natlu'e of eco~'use1L'ns
If the ecol(\~ical dimcnsio'1 j, s arlde<i to its nature or "instru-
lII.nt of socio-c:ult.ural innovation" 8S put by Nr.de varine, the
eC9lDuseUI:I is, =,l'obably i'lore l'recisely located in its 'JI8ttel'.
To the oppin.lon olthe swne authol', the hopeless division of
numerous institutional and administrative competences lIIeans that nr
of thelll can take tIle care of the complex living bOd~ certain
comurun.ity. i'h'. Hiviel'e's model ot "integra'l;ed" !J11.1seum anticipa-
tes that a~proach or ~un8 paralelly to it. A tew lIIonths before
33
the first definition of ecomuseum was reached (Lourmarin,1972)
there was a Unesco-ICOM round-table in Santiago, to define
"integrated" museum as a mean" to make muaeums veritable in-
. strumants of the cultural, scientific, technical, 80cial and
economic development", (A.Desvalees). The interesting the.e tor
South America resulted in "La casa del museo" as an outpost of
the Anthropology museum in Mexico City. The concept or it is
basioally that of neighborhood museums and, again, we see that
with ecomuseuIDs they for'i$ coherent new approach. The place of,.-..
people within the concept, which has been misunderstood, is·
rather the same ~s ~w, Collin says for ecomuseums: "It does
not mean that every1.'ody has to consider themselves a museum•
object but ['atilel' one of tile guardians anLl one of the curators
of a (;.,t'tai!1. lieri taGe, renewe'.' perlJlanently, pet'manently 1'ecolII-
mencee",
The need. fOJ.' t"le totality of the <ouseum approach and message
finds its rlace in the 1'11', I't::rradas' ide'a of "intermuseum pro-
gr8Jllme" which would aneliorate Inuseological education and help
the renewal of the "musewn language".
The time and "pace mussttlo, an eco!lluseUlll, is practical philo
sopAy of heritage which c~anges the core the traditional muse
olO~: "I1useological programme should not be done on the basis
ot what objects we have or we migilt want to have, but on the
basis of the ideas we want to expres8~, (Mr.Veillard).
34
If. museology
Mr~ Desvallees puts up the question whether we need a new term
"ecolDuseology". Judging by the qiktion (the need he denies, as
I understood) the case must have been raised and obiousl~ some
body felt it logical. ~ithin so many proposed "museologies"
that would be just one more. Therefore r would agree with r~.
Deevalees that we do not need it. Hut, however, the mere spe
culation my stand for some reasons: Can traditional museology
be applied to a phenomeno. excelling so ~adically the range
and nature of a .l;l'aclitional museum: The centl'al problem of t~a
ditional ::Iuseolog;y (tbe one we i,ave) accordins to its reOM de-•
finition, is L1uselL1 i.nstitlltion a:ld consequently, a museum
object. 'rhe new al'pl'oa~il places the total heritfl.~e (the con
stant of the territory tak~~ into accolmt) in the center of
its interest :!jakin£:; the i.dea .)rP',~"ecl the nbject.
The concept of &COJJluse~ includes all ti'e ilUlliouvable object'!
(within the area and of the interest) into its inventory. Be-
fore that, the adlllini ste~'ed Iiivi si.an of heritage I.rotection
lett to the museums, almost p.xcIusiveIy, the com!,etence over
the mobile objects. '.l'hat was, needless to say, splitting up
the logical whole •..
The sought interdiscipli.'1arity of !I1l1seology is not possible
it we do not bro&c:en the ,~once.pt of it. An iast l tution cente
red, applied discipline de a body of practical knowledge can
35
retain th", logical title of museography. Such a fixation to
an institution, however broaden with theoretical approach,
would have always t'le saIDY inability to function as an inde
pendent science. i;eneral nuseology, matterial science, museum
philosophy an!' other slJch expressions show, one might co~lude,
serious sym;:,totns of 'Ii sc.mtent with the reach and the nature
of the pres~nt lnuseoloGY. '..ii thin the cont ext of the new torms or"intee;1'8.ted", ::;;.;ltidil;c·~l)lina1'Ypractice (and not only practice)
like eCOllil.lSeil·u, a in th~oJ.'eticdl approach is inevitable.
At IC0r'O;; "l6et;.n~ in i31'i.s last ye(ll' , such an approach was
called, any ;~I~L)sit.i()!l .-.xclu·.1ed, - a ,.,el'itology. To that the-
sis of mine cull.,<iC:;Lleli [.'0"J "",i.nwal'l1t. Academia in Leiden re8-
ponded, cle<J.l'ly st.ating ;; .• 8. t tIle IC(Ji! (lerini tion of museology
sho",l0.. be cbtnge<l. ·~I,C eC()!~UseL:;;JS already comm ted the heresy
?s.
M t' '1' ., 11' ~. b t f -1,.'1. !: L. ae :-·e a:.L~ue- ..:>cal. cr" ~ rom.ue
Ha<l it a1'1'i'led uefo:'e, \1l~et :;: nad in 'llnd to do would have been
lauch an easlel' task. TLat excclent testLlIony is a pl'ofound' am'
cepitalcQntl'i ')·.~ti.on nut only to t'"is symposiUJu but to the ~n-
tire .;ause 0 r l:COm"SeUCl8 anti, therr"fol'e to tLe Uluseology.July 1983Zagreb - Yugoslavia Tanislav Sola
36
