Have you ever considered your kitchen as the cultural world in microcosm? No? I would therefore heartily recommend several pints of Theakston's Old Peculier. At this point the Zen like state you have achieved on the kitchen floor will inevitably lead to enlightenment. So, prior to your trip to the off licence, let me enlighten you.
When Tracey Emin challenged us all with 'My Bed' in 1998 she singularly missed the point. The bed is an elemental, recidivistic locus of return and repose. It is not a cultural item. It is not art. It is not a museum exhibit. How do I know? I've never snored in a museum. Have you? I may have dribbled slightly in both, but that in and of itself is not a cultural act.
But what is a kitchen? It is the heart of our existence, but is it central to your life? Are you in and out quickly with a microwaved dinner and a teabag in a mug type of person? In which case you are not gaining the most from your own internal museum. Or do you luxuriate in everything the space has to offer - a place where you are in control of your experience and where your decisions are at the heart of the activity. It is the ultimate participatory museum - the Holy Grail for the modern museum professionals.
You could argue that the living room is the museum of the past, where we are sponges to the single authorial voice of the TV. We think we have free will and choice, but that cannot explain the popularity of Emmerdale. Participation only takes the form of X Factor freak show frolics, a freephone vote is NOT true participation.
Therefore stop reading this blog on your tablet in front of the TV and go and sit in the kitchen to read the rest.
Explore your gallery (the fridge) the white cube that often offers challenging magnetised conceptual art and knowledge of Confucian depth that references the past in a postmodern way, "Keep Calm and Eat Chocolate' - well mine does anyway.
Then let your eyes wander over to the stores (cupboards - or for traditionalists a Welsh Dresser). Designed for easy access and exploration. You can change the displays at will, all stored items are an open drawer or cupboard door away. Offering items of varying antiquity (I still find my spurtle* useful for a whole range of activities), ubiquity and usefulness. Where else would you find, fine art, decorative art and working objects. Just like a proper museum store there are objects that you don't know what it is, others that you are sure you have but can't find and several items of the same thing for no explicable reason.
Then move onto the interactives (sink) to explore the physics and chemistry of the real world through work and play. And just like the best interactives they encourage team work - wash, dry or put away? And experimentation with ideas about science and life itself. You may wish to read my blog on mixer taps to understand the deeper philosophical and spiritual issues underlying hot and cold water.
Look at the National Trust heritage (kitchen bin) and get a real sense and smell of biology in action. Just this time replacing the overwhelming sense of lavender with something infinitely earthier and medieval.
The latest Arts Council cultural strategic 'Goal 3' of environmental sustainability is to be found in the recycle bin and ideal for attracting schools by helping with their slimmed down complementary curriculum as part of the the recent National Curriculum changes.
Finally, being an underfunded cultural entity you will notice the absence of a dishwasher.
So there you have it. Your kitchen is a modern museum. Look it again with fresh eyes and realise we don't just have 2,500 museums in the UK, but 25,000,000 - our cultural heritage is booming!
So respect your kitchen more and begin to charge and entry fee.
*a flat, wooden, spatula-like utensil, used for flipping oatcakes on a hot girdle
No comments:
Post a Comment