A museum engagement professional's perspective 

Artefact, symbol, spectacle 

“We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
Anaïs Nin, Seduction of the Minotaur, 1961 

How does the meaning of an object change depending upon who views it, and in what context?  

When considering the themes of this conference, I lit upon the topic of Audiences: Who are university museums for? The above question sprang to mind when thinking about how to link this theme with objects and education. 

The question of subjective interpretation is crucial to object-based learning, where material culture is the focal point of learning and teaching. Participants examine, interpret and critically analyse the object in front of them, and in so doing reveal truths about their own perceptions and preconceived notions. 

This object represents the concept of subjective interpretation in a number of ways: as artefact, as symbolic, and as a spectacle. As an artefact, this lamp was excavated from a Roman-period house in the Egyptian town of Hu. Originally a functional household item, it is now seen as an object of historical significance. This lamp is also symbolic, as it depicts a Dionysian mask. After being worn for performance, masks such as these could be hung in sanctuaries as dedications to Dionysus and take on a whole new level of interpretation. Finally, as spectacle, this object is displayed in an exhibition and seen by tens of thousands of people each year. Each member of this audience brings their own experiences and understandings, which shapes how they interpret the lamp on display. 

Returning to the quote by Nin, this question of how an object’s meaning can change based upon the audience is important when considering the theme of this conference: Truth-telling through university museums and collections. Any object has as many meanings as there are people to interpret it, and objects can be used to learn about the meanings we unconsciously assign them as well as how to critically unpack the way they are interpreted. Recognising our pre-existing biases and being willing to listen to the voices of those historically excluded from cultural institutions is crucial to the truth-telling process. 

Liam McGeagh is the Curatorial Assistant for Academic Engagement at the Chau Chak Wing Museum. He facilitates the museum's Object Based Learning (OBL) program. Liam is a member of the AMaGA Emerging Professionals network. 

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