jopp_issue12_braybrooke.pdf (417.82 kB)
Hacking the museum? Practices and power geometries at collections makerspaces in London
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 14:14 authored by Kat BraybrookeThis paper examines the recent phenomenon of ‘collections makerspaces’, which are defined for the first time as dedicated public sites in cultural institutions with suites of creative tools aimed at inspiring new engagements with a collection through hands-on making and learning practices. Working from the notion of space as a form of power geometry (Massey 1993), its component parts woven together through an ever-evolving constellation of the overlapping histories, imaginaries and cosmopolitics of myriad actors, the paper begins with a genealogy of shared machine shops in the U.K. as viewed through four cumulative waves of innovation, with collections makerspaces located in a fourth wave that is defined by institutional affiliations. The circumstances of collections makerspace sites situated at three museums in London (Tate, the British Museum and the Wellcome Collection) are then explored through an examination of ethnographic observations of practices that are either canonical or distinctive, and the corresponding geometries of power they reveal. In conclusion, it is argued that the collections makerspace is emerging as a key site of critical institutional inquiry which carries the potential to reframe museum hegemonies through peer production practices.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
Journal of Peer ProductionISSN
2213-5316Publisher
Foundation for P2P AlternativesPublisher URL
Issue
12Volume
2Page range
40-59Department affiliated with
- Media and Film Publications
Research groups affiliated with
- Sussex Humanities Lab Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2018-07-23First Open Access (FOA) Date
2018-07-23First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2018-07-23Usage metrics
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