EU Referendum Update July 2016

The dust has settled on the EU referendum and the events can be summarised quite easily.

Overall the UK voted to leave, although distinct areas and countries voted to remain.

This caused some political upheaval, which has now become clearer

UKIP - the main leaver left.

Meanwhile in the Conservatives the main remainers left along with all the leavers. That left the remaining remainer insisting that leaving means leaving. She then got the leavers back in to help us leave. Whilst doing this she talked to Scotland who wanted to remain, to persuade them to remain whilst joining in leaving.

In the Labour Party the remainer remains despite efforts to get him to leave by other remainers.

For the Lib Dems the remainers insist leaving means remaining, although nobody is listening to them.

In the country some leavers now want to remain, and many remainers now want to leave the country.

In Europe they want us to remain but insist we should leave as soon as possible.




So where does that leave museums? They want to remain, but will be forced to leave, whilst hoping that the contacts remain, even though the European funding will leave.


Chief BBC political analyst Laura Kuenssberg assessment of the situation is as follows

You put your left arm in

your right arm out 

In, out, in, out, 

You shake it all about.  

You do the Hokey Cokey and you turn around

That's what it's all about...

Woah, the hokey cokey,

Woah, the hokey cokey,...

Something for an English Summer?

The Meteorological Office has confirmed that this has been the wettest June on record (records actually began in 1910 - but I suspect we'd been having bad weather well before then). But this was not confined to June. We've had the wettest April-June ever. The total amount of rain in June was 145.3mm (getting on for 6 inches in old money).  With the unsettled weather due to continue due to something to do with the Jet Stream, what should museums do? Normally its time to invest in outdoor event and activities. 

Or should we take our direction from 'Ark Encounter' (https://arkencounter.com/) in Kentucky and build something with a eye to the future (or past?). Does your museum have a spare $100m, then this could be your way forward. A 510 feet long (300 cubits) ark.  It is handy that the Bible, as well as offering an accurate history of civilisation, is also an early IKEA instruction booklet to build your own, species survival craft. 

“And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.” (Genesis 6:15)

Credit: AP*

There's no need to rush, at the current rate of rain it will take 58,000 months to cover Mount Everest in water. Although I suspect humanity will be in trouble long before them. But I think museums would need the time to get to grips with their disposal policies, so that there will be enough room in the ark to house their collections.

Am I being pessimistic? You just need to ask yourself when did you last see a rainbow?

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” (Genesis 9:12)

Next time it rains and a rainbow fails to appear, get on the first flight to Kentucky with your favourite object. Or get those strange bits of wood in your museum store that you never knew what they were for, but could never bring yourself to throw out, and start building. It is your duty as a curator to preserve your collection, people may think you are mad, but future generations will thanks you.






http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/07/noahs-ark-replica-unveiled-in-kentucky-amid-anger-at-scientifica/

Can I Touch this?

 Do want more millennials in your fusty old halls? Have you thought about playing music in your museum exhibitions?

Museums used to be follow the Bruce Springsteen theory of display outlined in his early manifesto, 'The River' Track 9 - You Can Look (But You'd Better Not Touch)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbd5IexmTX4

Be sure to blast this out to protect your new open storage decorative art loan from the Victoria and Albert Museum.

More generally, MC Hammer's U Can't Touch This, can be sampled through touch pads if visitors get close to your objects.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo

But museums have moved towards a more inclusive and, dare I say it, touching approach. What would be appropriate?

Open the doors to Diana Ross' Touch Me In The Morning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxZRdxrP0Vo

If your museum have sleepovers, how about

Kathy Dennis Touch Me (All Night Long)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rPSQweDPmI

I think a more strident approach encouraging visitors to handle objects is needed in the early stages and many modern beat combos can instruct us to 'Touch'. Here is a small sample

The Supremes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXLUND2kCPA

Natasha Bedingfield

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOa4axPVHEc

Daft Punk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljQdZEMs31g

Shift K3Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KtYYHKEGDc

That should cover a range of tastes.

For the braver museum, how about asking visitors to actually handle your objects. What can you offer them aurally. Robyn's Handle Me is a good place to start

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4UHNhVSrEM

or Fleetwood Mac's Hold Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAbfPDZdEBU

For the more anxious the Travelling Wilburys Handle With Care may offer an easy way in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8s9dmuAKvU

Or Tori Amos' Precious Things

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Croz1_USr3U

What about tunes to avoid? Top of my list would be The Damned's Smash It Up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux1Za8Wmz_s

Nick Lowe's I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80A26-uo-CA

and the ultimate in cultural destructive nihilism, Joy Division, Atrocity Exhibition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3suV4k7gF0


Listen, enjoy, relax, open up those cabinets and let the handling begin

A Briton's EU Elegy

The church bell tolls the knell of parting way,

       The defeated man climbs slowly o'er the gate,

The Briton homeward plods his weary way,

       And leaves Europe for darkness due to hate.



Now fades the glimm'ring future on the night,

       And all the air a solemn stillness holds,

Save where UKIP man preens his droning spite,

      As lousy thinking doth infect the polls;



Save us from yonder lonely tow'r

      The moping spirit tabloid to the mass complain

And so, Britannia finds her secret bow'r,

      Returns to her ancient solitary reign.


For Cameron no more number 10's hearth shall burn,

       The tired PM shows his evening care:

84 Tories write to save their sire's concern,

      Or vie to have his envied role to share.



Beneath that rugged hair, that blonded shade,

     Heaves Boris Johnson's mould'ring heap,

Is in his narrow mind for ever laid,

       The rude leaver of Europe, asleep.



That breezy call in a Scottish Morn,

    The Sturgeon twitt'ring from the stone-built stead,

The crow's shrill clarion, or her echoing horn,

     No more shall Union keep Scots from their EU bed.



Oft did Ireland to their violence yield,

     Their divided soul the cycle had been broke;

How quickly will they take their guns to wield!

    As borders rise and calls to unite occur in one stroke!



The day with markets in sad array

    The currency's downward path we saw it borne.

Approach with dread where the economy will lay,

    Grav'd on the stone where we will mourn.



Here he rests his head upon the lap of Earth

    A hostage to Fortune and to Fame unknown.

Fair Albion frown'd on EU's worth,

    And Melancholy mark'd him for her own.



Never has Thomas Grey's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard seemed so apt and poignant

on this sad day

The Museum of Tomorrow may actually be The Museum of Tomorrow

Source: http://museudoamanha.org.br/

Welcome to 'The Museum of Tomorrow'

"The Museum of Tomorrow is a different kind of science museum. A space conceived through the values of sustainability and conviviality that explores the ever-changing times we’re witnessing and the possible paths we may take during the next 50 years."*

 This new cultural organisation is in Rio de Janeiro and could be an intriguing stop off point for the masses of sports enthusiasts for this year's Olympic Games.

But is it a museum?

An initial review (from John Orna-Ornstein* no less) is very positive.  Here is his twitter review in full.

"Only one object, but @museudoamanha is thoughtful, beautiful, supremely relevant and rather brilliant."

I was drawn to his comment, '...only one object..'. In the museum world we have been working to a museum definition by our Museums Association since 1998.

'Museums enable people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make accessible artefacts and specimens, which they hold in trust for society.' (my italics).

According to this definition a museum of one object is not a museum.

One object does not a collection make. If that is the case I have a second hand Ford Ka collection, all of which are in working order (just). But I am not the Working Museum of Second Hand Everyday Affordable City Cars.

So what is the difference?

The difference is the 'inspiration, learning and enjoyment' part of the MA definition and is pertinent to the remaining part of Orna-Ornstein's review.

As soon as we break from our 'collections' fetishism we release the shackles. If we think of artefacts and specimens as tools that may be used to inspire and not an end in themselves, all of a sudden we can have more enlightened disposal policies, more engagement with artefacts in the public domain (there are excellent examples out there) and develop the museum's outward focus on society rather than inward of collection conservation and management.

Furthermore Orna-Ornstein has identified an element of museum work that is implicit within the definition, but, in my view, should be explicit - relevance. Museums are about today (some forget that) and should be working hard for society now. It sounds like this new museum is trying to do just that.

Let us all work towards a less collections dependent definition of a museum that explicitly challenges us to be relevant to the society as it is now and will be in the future.

In which case Rio's Museum of Tomorrow, may actually be the museum of tomorrow.



* http://museudoamanha.org.br/en/welcome
**John Orna-Ornstein is Arts Council England's Director of Museums

Museum of Kevin Bacon

Given the ubiquity of Kevin Bacon memes around the world in internet land, I've been surprised and disappointed that he hasn't invaded popular museum culture. Never fear I'm here to redress the balance. Feel free to join in if you like.

Challenge: Replace one word in a museum or exhibition or gallery with the word 'Bacon'

Here's an simple start

Natural Bacon Museum

You see its easy - soon you be muttering things like Bacon Transport Museum in your sleep and then you'll graduate to more obscure ones like,

New Bedford Whaling Bacon 

and after a while they just come tumbling out

The Museum of Jurassic Bacon

The Victoria and Bacon Museum

Bacon Rivers Museum

Bacon Collar Museum

Museum of Mental Bacon

Museum of Baconcraft

Museum of Brands, Packaging and Bacon

The Museum of Bad Bacon

Museum of Medieval Torture Bacon

Museum of Vampires and Legendary Bacon

all with no mention of Harry Potter

These are just the museums, any temporary exhibitions that might be suitable for the 'Bacon' treatment?

Try it you might like it and be sure to send me your best suggestions

What Do Millennials Want from Museum Work?

The British Government has just published a new White Paper on Culture. One of the things it wants to encourage a debate about is the role of museums. At long last! Some will say. What is a museum? Is what others may say. My question is, what does the next generation think and do? Not just about museums, or culture, but work and life itself. So what will museums need to become?

A business survey published this May (2016) in the U.S.A. gave some interesting results*

Millennials expect flexible work arrangements

A great deal of work can be done any time from any location, which means the traditional 9-to-5 routine is becoming extinct. 95% of millennials want the option to at least occasionally work outside the office? Part of the museum staff problem is that not enough of them are on the exhibition floor and are in their offices. Lets get them out of there as much as we can. Getting them out of the museum entirely is probably a very healthy thing - even if it is only to visit other museums.

77% think flexible hours would make the workplace more productive.

This generation also values work-life balance over high salary positions (not usually a problem in museums)

A flexible work arrangement usually means ...
Employees are more productive
Organisations achieve greater employee satisfaction and less turnover
Emergencies are less of a problem (employees are equipped to work anywhere)
Organisations experience less sick employees and absenteeism
Organisations become more attractive to top talent
Can we do this in museums, can we rethink opening hours? Most visitors come between a 11am - 3pm window. What about weekends? Unless you are in a tourist hotspot, Mondays are very quiet. We can build in flexibility very easily.

Open Offices are Replacing Traditional Layouts

The future it seems is open plan and hot desks, cutting down operational costs. Apparently GlaxoSmithKline saves $10m p.a. through unassigned seating. If more people are off site, out of the office, working flexibly then why waste money on office space - it can free up more storage space for artefacts! Thus eliminating the UK museum storage crisis in one fell swoop. Or just cut costs, making museums more sustainable.

How to do it well? Here are some tips

Furnish your offices with moveable furniture that can be reconfigured so employees are able to work privately or collaboratively if needed. If you don't want to be near Janice and her unfortunate soup based habits pick up your work station and move it to a toilet cubicle.

Do away with assigned seating and offer seating alternatives like standing desks, yoga ball seats and sofa/lounge areas so employees have several options and the ability to move around throughout the day. I think yoga balls could attract younger volunteers to museums and produce a steady stream of older volunteers to hospital accident and emergency departments.

Create think spaces, meditation spots, or private areas where staff and volunteers can go to make private phone calls, have meetings or work in peace.

Create collaboration areas specifically for group meetings away from the main open space so as not to disrupt others.

The Internet of Things (IoT) Will Rule Everything

This is possibly the biggest influencer of change since the Internet (or in the case of museums, since the quill pen was replaced by the fountain pen). That's because it's now possible for "smart" electronic devices to automatically communicate with one another without any human-to-computer interaction.

With the right management software to govern all this automation, museum managers are in for a real treat:

You will be equipped to track the location and utilisation of every item, computer, mobile device, piece of equipment and room in your building.

All connected devices are sharing information, which means big data can be collected and analysed in real time to track and monitor behaviours, and identify ways to increase efficiency while lowering cost.

Will your museum become a "Smart building" equipped with IoT-capable light fixtures, smart utilities and advanced management software will make predictive maintenance a reality.

Are you ready for the future? The museum that will survive and thrive in the years to come will be those that adopt these trends early and embrace their limitless possibilities.

While the next generations catch a lot of flack for their unconventional work ethics, they also bring fresh and exciting perspectives to our sector.


And it's their vision that will ultimately reshape the museum of the future.







*Inc Magazine http://www.inc.com/elizabeth-dukes/what-95-of-millennials-want-and-other-trends-you-need-to-know.html