Time and the Museum: Literature, Phenomenology, and the Production of Radical Temporality PDF
Preview Time and the Museum: Literature, Phenomenology, and the Production of Radical Temporality
Routledge Research in Museum Studies TIME AND THE MUSEUM LITERATURE, PHENOMENOLOGY, AND THE PRODUCTION OF RADICAL TEMPORALITY Jen A. Walklate Time and the Museum Time and the Museum: Literature, Phenomenology, and the Production of Radical Temporality, is the first explicit in-depth study of the nature of museum temporality. It argues as its departure point that the way in which museums have hith- erto been understood as temporal in the scholarship – as spaces of death, othering, memory, and history – is too simplistic, and has resulted in museum temporality being reduced to a strange heterotopia (Foucault) – something peculiar, and thus black boxed. However, to understand the ways in which museum temporalities and timescapes are produced, and the consequences that these have upon display and visitor response, is crucial, because time is itself a political entity, with ethical consequence. Time and the Museum highlights something we all experience in some way – time – as a key ethical and political feature of the museum space. Utilizing the fields of literature and phenomenology, the book examines how time is experienced and performed in the public areas of three museum spaces within Oxford – the Ashmolean, Pitt Rivers, and Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Using concepts such as shape, structure, form, presence, absence, authenticity, and aura, the book argues for a reconsid- eration of museum time as something with radical potential and political weight. It will appeal to academics and postgraduate students, especially those engaged in the study of museums, culture, literature, and design. Jen A. Walklate (University of Aberdeen) is a museologist, historian, and literary theorist, studying the intersections between museums and other cul- tural media, including literature, drama, and comics. She utilizes novelis- tic and poetic forms and concepts to open new ways of considering visitor experience in museum contexts, and literature as an analytical framework for understanding the construction and performance of museums. Drawing upon this study, she is looking at new ways to create more representative, inclusive, egalitarian, and intellectually open institutions. Routledge Research in Museum Studies This series presents the latest research from right across the field of museum studies. It is not confined to any particular area, or school of thought, and seeks to provide coverage of a broad range of topics, theories, and issues from around the world. The following list includes only the most-recent titles to publish within the series. A list of the full catalogue of titles is available at: https://www.routledge. com/Routledge-Research-in-Museum-Studies/book-series/RRIMS Museums, International Exhibitions and China’s Cultural Diplomacy Da Kong Curating Lively Objects Exhibitions Beyond Disciplines Edited by Lizzie Muller and Caroline Seck Langill Theorizing Equity in the Museum Integrating Perspectives from Research and Practice Edited by Bronwyn Bevan and Bahia Ramos Revisiting the Past in Museums and at Historic Sites Edited by Anca I. Lasc, Andrew McClellan and Änne Söll Museums, Societies and the Creation of Value Edited by Howard Morphy and Robyn McKenzie Human Rights Museums Critical Tensions Between Memory and Justice Jennifer Carter Time and the Museum Literature, Phenomenology, and the Production of Radical Temporality Jen A. Walklate Time and the Museum Literature, Phenomenology, and the Production of Radical Temporality Jen A. Walklate First published 2023 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 Jen A. Walklate The right of Jen A. Walklate to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978-1-032-16406-9 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-16410-6 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-24844-6 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003248446 Typeset in Times New Roman by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. This book is dedicated to my former supervisor, and friend, Simon J. Knell, who wouldn’t let me call it Tears in the Rain. In Memory of T. G. Cresswell, who taught me to never be good. Contents List of Figures ix Acknowledgements x PART I Contextualizing 1 Introduction: Time 3 1 Frame 21 PART II Temporal Shapes 47 Introduction: Contours in Time 49 2 Linearity 50 3 Non-Linearity 69 PART III Temporal Atmospheres 89 Introduction: Time and Spirit 91 4 Presence 92 5 Absence 107 6 Authenticity 135 7 Auracity 149 viii Contents PART IV Consequences and Meanings 161 Conclusion: After-Words 163 Coda: In Extremis 178 Bibliography 181 Index 191 Figures 2.1 Star House Pole, Pitt Rivers Museum. Copyright, the Author 59 3.1 ‘The real Alice’, Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Copyright, the Author 75 3.2 The Pitt Rivers Staircase, Pitt Rivers Museum, Copyright the Author 81 3.3 The mis-en-page of the Pitt Rivers Great Court, Pitt Rivers Museum, Copyright the Author 83 4.1 Knossos Palace, Ashmolean Museum, Copyright, Ashmolean Museum 101 5.1 The Pickling Block, Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Copyright, the Author 117 6.1 The Augustus of Primo Porto, the Ashmolean Museum. Copyright, the Author 141 7.1 The Coromandel Screen, the Ashmolean Museum. Copyright, the Author 150
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