Exhibiting – what? Permanent Exhibition of S/T Museum in Belgrade Some Conceptual Issues Saša Šepec, curator MNT

Basics 1: Whats happening? Museum object Visitor Museum Museum object Visitor Museum Shift of museum interest: from the museum object, witch carries itsproperty of pedagogical meaning, to the relation between visitor and object. Museum functions: educational, cultural, social; Fun industry, tourism, consuming leisure time.

Example 1: How to shift the S-T museum? The consultancy agency was paid £425,000 to create a new identity. They refused to look on it as a museum. Their job was to get people through the doors. The consultancy agency was paid £425,000 to create a new identity. They refused to look on it as a museum. Their job was to get people through the doors. Jean-Michel Jarres music was piped into exhibition area to help convey a sense of the dramatic mystery of science. Jean-Michel Jarres music was piped into exhibition area to help convey a sense of the dramatic mystery of science. Museum warders were officially renamed stewards; in blazers instead of their previous rather militaristic uniforms. They were encouraged to chat with visitors. Museum warders were officially renamed stewards; in blazers instead of their previous rather militaristic uniforms. They were encouraged to chat with visitors. Actors were hired to interpret displays. Actors were hired to interpret displays. A new marketing department. A new marketing department. An advertising campaign. An advertising campaign. The Museums first ever television advertisement. The Museums first ever television advertisement. Department of Interpretation: Visitor research. Department of Interpretation: Visitor research. Museums newly adopted Mission Statement was: To promote the public understanding of science...… an attempt to provide not just what they [visitors] ought to have, but what they might want.

Basics 2: S/T controversies Relationship of Science and Technology: Science is theoretical/objective useless knowledge-investigation of reality Science is theoretical/objective useless knowledge-investigation of reality Technology is theoretical/engineering apply-construction of this knowledge in order to produce useful objects. Technology is theoretical/engineering apply-construction of this knowledge in order to produce useful objects. Science is experimental practice: Technology and measurement. Price of S-T: economy, politics, society. Science and Technology are culturally neutral; There is only Western S-T. Advancement of S-T; progress? Political/economic power of S-T? Western cultural imperialism of S-T?

Basics 3: Becoming of S-T heritage Scientific-technological (S-T) heritage: something we have, when science / technology / industry enters the Museum. Scientific-technological (S-T) heritage: something we have, when science / technology / industry enters the Museum. Two steps of this entering: 1. Pulling out the object from its natural environment 2. Inserting this object in new, artificial environment Wrong way/ feeling guilty 1: Recovering of usefulness; how things work, understanding, keeping it in working condition, in original settings, demonstrations, live presentations, etc. Natural means everydayArtificial means cultural Wrong way/ feeling guilty 2: Concealing of usefulness; forcing the attractiveness and design, visitors experience, interpretation, etc. The question of authenticity

Example 2: The role of S-T museums The difference can be characterized with reference to the broader new ethos in public service as neatly summed up in a catch-phrase of the 1980s, the customer is always right. Museums, while not exactly operating on the principle that customers were always wrong, had tended to be run within a more paternalistic ethos. In many cases, particularly in museums such as the Science Museum with a more explicitly educative role (as opposed, say, to art museums where social distinction is more central), the public was conceptualized as a child which needed educating and bringing up properly. Museums actually never had simply an educative role; it was more scientific (only ten or so years ago, Museum of Natural History (London) stopped collecting all the living species (insects)). In contemporary education a shifting from scientific paradigm is under way; S-T museums are sensitive to this!

Example 3: Two models of p Example 3: Two models of permanent exhibition DeutschesMuseum Aerospace Agriculture Altamira Cave, reproduction of a Spanish cave with stone-age paintings Amateur Radio Astronautics Astronomy Bridge Building Ceramics Chemistry Chronometry Computers Digital Imaging Electrical Power Energy Technology Environment Geodesy Glass History of the Deutsches Museum Hydraulic engineering Machine Components Machine Tools Marine Navigation Masterpieces Mathematical Gallery Mining (Historical and Modern) Metallurgy Microelectronics Mineral Oil and Natural Gas Music Paper Pharmacy Physics Power Machinery Printing Scientific Instruments Technical Toys Telecommunications Textile Technology Tunnel Construction Weights and Measures Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago) The Coal Mine The New U-505 Experience McCormick Tribune Take Flight Fairy Castle The Great Train Story The Transportation Zone Pioneer Zephyr U.S. Navy F-35 Lightning II Genetics: Decoding Life ToyMaker 3000 Fab Lab MSI The Apollo 8 spacecraft OmniMax theater Mercury Atlas 7 spacecraft A life-size mockup of a space shuttle The human heart Yesterday's Mainstreet Everything, systematically exposed Anything attractive, No systematic

Global – National Serbian by nationality Croatian by place of birth American by place of work

Global – National: Our example I Collection of computers: T CER Institute Mihailo Pupin, Belgrade

Global – National: Our example II Collection of computers: T PACE R EAI: Electronic Associates Inc., New Jersey

Digression: example II Quality Control; Picture taken in 1961 Univ. of Texas SAAB - Sweden NASA Prg. Nuclear - England

Global – National: Our example III Collection of computers: T IBM International Business Machines, Armonk On the 29 th of October, 1969, the Computer Center of the Mathematical Institute (Faculty of Mathematics, Belgrade) have been officially opened.

Concluding our example Global-national always goes together!

We 1: The Concept Our specificities: WHAT DO WE HAVE – not much, but we have to stick to it. WHAT DO WE HAVE – not much, but we have to stick to it. HOW MUCH DO WE KNOW – not much, and there are only a few of us, so we have to rely upon outer specialists (to some extent). HOW MUCH DO WE KNOW – not much, and there are only a few of us, so we have to rely upon outer specialists (to some extent). MEASUREMENT Scientific laboratories Calculating machines and computers Measuring devices PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGY Technology in domestic settings Architecture and civil engineering Medicine Music, sport, fun COMMERCE Agriculture Traffic and fireman devices Industrial heritage Craftsmanship and manufacture COMMUNICATION Printing Reproductive technology Photo and Kino techniques Bureau-techniques Radio and TV diffusion Informatics Archiving of information ENTRANCE Association of scientific-technological museums of Serbia Aleksandar Despic: the founder of the MNT New museum building Gallery of Serbian scientists Young Serbian inventors

We 2: The Accents Basic content is global, and it is filled with what we have; but the accents are nationally specific. They are institutionalized, socialized or historicized aspects of S-T Basic content is global, and it is filled with what we have; but the accents are nationally specific. They are institutionalized, socialized or historicized aspects of S-T MEASUREMENT Scientific laboratories Calculating machines and computers Measuring devices PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGY Technology in domestic settings Architecture and civil engineering Medicine Music, sport, fun COMMERCE Agriculture Traffic and fireman devices Industrial heritage Craftsmanship and manufacture COMMUNICATION Printing Reproductive technology Photo and Kino techniques Bureau-techniques Radio and TV diffusion Informatics Archiving of information Serbian meteorology Electro-power system of Serbia Roads of Serbian engineering Serbian PTT system What are the accents? – What Japanese tourists can photograph in 15 minutes runaround. Our social massage is Modernization

To be continued…