Mirjam Brusius, Kavita Singh

Museum Storage and Meaning: Tales from the Crypt

Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 9781138065970
Number of pages: 300
Publishing Date: 2017-09-07
Branch: museum & cultural heritage
Category: (hardcover)
 
Beyond their often beautiful exhibition halls, many museums contain vast, hidden spaces in which objects may be stored, conserved, or processed. Museums can also include unseen archives, study rooms, and libraries which are inaccessible to the public. This collection of essays focuses on this domain, an area that has hitherto received little attention. Divided into four sections, the book critically examines the physical space of museum storage areas, the fluctuating historical fortunes of exhibits, the growing phenomenon of publicly visible storage, and the politics of objects deemed worthy of collection but unsuitable for display. In doing so, it explores issues including the relationship between storage and canonization, the politics of collecting, the use of museum storage as a form of censorship, the architectural character of storage space, and the economic and epistemic value of museum objects. Essay contributions come from a broad combination of museum directors, curators, archaeologists, historians, and other academics.

Buy this book (affiliate links)

Comments (0)
There are no comments for this content yet.
COOKIE SETTINGS
We use cookies on our website. These help us to improve our offers (editorial office, magazine) and to operate them economically.

You can accept the cookies that are not necessary or reject them by clicking on the grey button. You will find more detailed information in our privacy policy.
I accept all cookies
only accept necessary cookies
Imprint/Contact | Terms