RE-WRITING OBJECTS
What is a caption?
The museum caption plays a role far beyond that of a mere description. It is a component part in a context that, in theory, can dramatically shape the way we think, view or interact with an object or display.
A caption additionally serves as one facet of the biases inherent to any museum institution. The decision to display an object or particular information about an object is a conscious choice, framing a designed representation of the contexts surrounding said object. To an extent, the museum fulfils a gatekeeping function by deciding what is history, laying out the terms through which we understand what is on display.
In the case of particular objects, the singular bias of the museum is only capable of telling a limited history or ‘reality’ of that object. Functions and understandings may differ between individuals, places or time periods. Today’s interpretation of an object may differ from the original intentions that surround it.
How can museums account for the fact that history is a continually developing field?
THE SUBJECTIVE MUSEUM
At the core of my project is a desire to facilitate the processes necessary to establish a ‘people’s history’ so as to further our thinking about the way understandings change over time.
Through this method, an object can, in theory, become defined as much by material knowledge as the discourses and experiences from which it is inseparable in all but ideology. This is a proposal for a system through which an object can essentially be subjected to many biases, as opposed to a singular institutional frame.
This is not to disregard the importance of truth, but to examine and scrutinise the ways in which we interact with and know of our own past. This is a history not alternative to or isolated from the factual history of an object, but simultaneous to that which is scientifically ‘canon’; facts and knowledge are enriched by thoughts, ideas and feelings unique to their contextual origin.
THE ZOOMORPHIC VESSEL
The object I have selected for testing these ideas is an ancient zoomorphic vessel featured in the Yale University Art Gallery collections. This decision was, in part, influenced by the object’s status as a public domain object of which images can be used freely.
Additionally, particular ambiguities exist around the design, for instance the exact year of its creation and the divide between the form and function of the object, that I hoped would produce a variety of responses.
CREATING A ‘PEOPLE’S HISTORY’
In non-pandemic times I would likely have taken a more physical approach to gathering the subjective ‘captions’ of a public audience, such as through vox pop-style interviews or posters with a designated area for written responses. However, reacting to the circumstances and hoping to obtain a wide range of responses, I instead created a website: subjectivemuseum.com
Visitors to the site are presented with an image of the zoomorphic vessel and prompted to leave a written response, embodying their feelings, knowledge and perceptions of the object.
At present this process for collecting information lacks the iterative nature needed to produce multiple solutions to re-writing the caption. Some initial thoughts for moving forward:
+ Using the language of the collected responses as a constraint for re-writing the original information. Randomly selecting from particular ‘categories’ (object function, age, name etc)?
+ Modifying the criteria for how visitors respond; adding prompts, various methods of interaction (checkboxes, sliders etc to gauge opinion) – however, will this corrupt the process with my individual biases?
+ Explore alternative methods of collecting a ‘people’s history’; audio, physical response (sculpture/art-making), anecdotes, other interaction types.
+ Testing a difference in response between those with and without the factual knowledge surrounding the object.