Fragile Beauty

Emerging trends for post-pandemic museums

“The very apocalypse we’ve been waiting for”

This statement by American activist Aja Taylor was shocking enough to make me think. How could it be so? How could such an apocalypse shaking our way of life to the core be welcome and indeed beneficial? I think the answer lies in the origins of the word — in the classic Greek version apocalypse means ‘to uncover’.

As an entire museum eco-system has ground to a halt, I cannot help thinking how true Aja Taylor’s words are. This apocalypse has uncovered the vulnerability of the traditional museum model and how much of that eco-system is now destined to be lost unless overhauled completely. It is worrying to consider that a third of American museums that have closed down may never open again, as museums across the continent lay off staff and part-time workers. In Europe, the Network of European Museums Organisations is currently taking stock of the impact on income, staff, online presence and workflow that museums are experiencing. Data is still being compiled so as to make a case for adequate measures of support. The situation is still fluid and difficult to assess. The indications are that the impact will be huge but difficult to predict.

Lots of discussions on the way forward are happening across social media platforms. Museum directors, personnell, advisors and expertise have been sharing their knowledge almost incessantly. I was and still am pleasantly surprised with the discussions happening on social media and the responses that keep being generated. The latest discussion happening last week on twitter, spearheaded by the American Alliance of Museums via hashtag #MuseumsDiscussCOVID19, underpinned the importance to meet museum publics where they now are, mostly at home. The need to strategically adapt and anticipate the skill sets that will be in demand to do so were some of the points raised.

Handling fragility

Becoming aware, acknowledging and embracing the fragility of your organisation at this point in time is the first step to take. As the transition unfolds organisations reinvent themselves in new and creative ways. Embracing fragility would also need a thorough review of programming, marketing strategies and anything related the museum’s audience-centred experience pre-coronavirus pandemic.

Peak Experience Lab (by Andrea Jones) has been sharing some good insight on the trajectory ahead. In their insightful article published last Wednesday (25 March) they speak about the transition ahead which is a good adaptation of the widely used Kubler-Ross model for change management and liminal theory studies by Arthur Van Gennep and Victor Turner. In Andrea Jones’ own words

One way to start the “endings” process is to hunt down and remove evidence of your museum’s “Zombie Identity.” These are visitor engagement initiatives that are now completely irrelevant.

Most museums are now in a state of liminality as they have had to let go of old habits and patterns considered fundamentally intrinsic to the museum’s raison d’etre. The neutral zone they are in now is truly uncertain but holds potential for creative exploration. It is at this very moment or point in time that the museum’s very own existence comes to the crossroads. As Andrea Jones explains so succintly in her blogpost

If museums take the “hunker down and wait it out” approach, they are less likely to emerge with the new, healthy identities they will need in a post-epidemic world.

I can single out three emerging trends and discussions that might help museums reinvent themselves at this crucial time. There are certainly more than these to consider, and some of these are known too. It is, perhaps, the way we look at them now through the lens of a post-pandemic landscape that will help incubate new ideas and spearhead change.

1. Audience development by emotional need

There is scope and purpose for this new approach to continue. Indeed, this might hopefully be one of the outcomes of this pandemic and might help museums become more relevant than ever before. I choose to explain this by quoting Andrea Jones’ blogpost yet again

‘We’re accustomed to targeting audiences based on things like demographics, geography, or interests — or to think about their learning needs or their recreational needs. But being relevant to audiences in the Age of Quarantine means meeting their emotional needs.’

Museums are now reaching out to bored people, desperate parents, teachers at sea, higher educational institutions teaching online, eager learners … and the likes of which keep being singled out. The lists being compiled and the audience segments that keep being identified might be shaping the way we might be looking at our audiences in the years to come.

2. New forms of museum time

The new museum netizen has the luxury to access museum content at any time of the day from anywhere on the planet. The choice was always there, but the time to do so was not. With a new museum netizen slowly emerging, the risk in forgetting that this new netizen is beyond time zones and geographies is real. There is the opportunity to be more relevant than ever before. Developing bespoke content for your communities might need to consider much more carefully where they are, where and at what time they can be reached and how to reach them.

A fresh approach to what I call museum time can help organisations become more relevant, as communities may be much more within reach through the intelligent use of technologies.

3. The future of museums is inside our own homes

Yes, I do risk quoting this one out of context but it did set me thinking. Orhan Pamuk’s final statement in his Modest Manifesto for Museums states such a thing — that the future of museums is in our homes. Pamuk’s manifesto advocates for “smaller, more individualistic, and cheaper” museums, telling “stories” in the place of “histories.” Given the potential emergence of new forms of museum time, and given a concerted effort to rethink museum audience engagement in response to emotional need are we perhaps close to new futures for museums inside out own homes?

I did comment elsewhere in this blogpublication about the need for museums to develop a virtual experience or second life to complement or in parallel to the traditional physical experience. The ways and means how the two can become an amalgam for a new museum experience is yet to be seen.

The pictures featured here show models wearing beautiful albeit fragile paper wigs by Russian artist Aysa Kozina. We thank Aysa for her consent to showcase these wonderful pieces.