a new paradigm for collections by nick merriman
DESCRIPTION
In this presentation, Nick Merriman, looked at the future of collecting, particularly in the 'systematic' museums which characterised the heyday of Imperial museum provision. Many have virtually ceased collecting in the face of resource constraints and the impossibility of achieving the encyclopaedic goal. He suggested a new approach, based on notion of the 'relational object' derived from anthropological collecting.TRANSCRIPT
Nick Merriman
The Manchester Museum
University of Manchester
A New Paradigm for Collecting?
Local & global dimensionProcess would be as important as
outcome: it’s about relationshipsRelationships can be virtual as well as
face-to-faceCollecting would be as much about
digital as about objectsCollecting becomes qualitative rather
than quantitative – the relational museum
What might collecting look like?
Promoting understanding between cultures
Working towards a sustainable world
The Manchester Museum: Objectives
Collective Conversations
Living Worlds Gallery
Trees: forestation and deforestation; climate change; cultural meanings
Water: Peak District & Egypt; water management; cultural associations; biodiversity
Cotton: Manchester and Turkey; cultivation; manufacture; meanings; distribution; consumption
Migration: plants and animals; movement of people and species
Potential collecting themes