Museum Curation and Cultural Narratives

Museum Curation

The symbolic narrative behind museum architecture wholly revolves around the cultural communication exhibited through the architectural design and the techniques of museum curation. They both intersect with the storytelling ideologies of design since the sole purpose of a museum is to relay a story of heritage, culture, and history. It should offer the information and cater to a certain engaging experience to foster an emotional resonance for the user. 

The art of museum curation is identified by four elements: exhibition design, cultural representation, engagement and education, and preservation. It is not only encouraged but crucial for museum curators to tell a story with their displayed artefacts, paying close attention to the significance and accuracy of the cultural representation and offering a certain level of engagement for users. The emotional resonance with the exhibition is elevated through the intervention of the museum’s architectural design. The reflection of the cultural context on the building itself with the symbolism in shapes, colours, or decorative elements, offers a sense of community involvement because it represents the community more accurately. In other words, it speaks to them. 

Museums as Narrative

Museums do not just offer a story through the artefacts, but museum buildings can be seen as a cultural statement in themselves. The cultural identity and spatial storytelling composition showcased in the Guggenheim Museum in New York, or the Louvre in Paris demonstrates the meticulous integration of narrative elements.

Frank Lloyd Wright conceptualised the museum as a “temple of the spirit”, it is a place that lets the community experience art in a transformative way. It is more of a “spiritual journey”. The Guggenheim Museum stands as an icon of organic architecture that integrates harmoniously with the urban context, even though it reflects the harmony in design, it is unique, distinctive, and expands outward as a defined feature. The narrative medium is displayed first from the spiral ramp creating a journey from the bottom to the top as a symbol for the “ascent into enlightenment” because each level offers a new modified or developed perspective. The narrative is a dynamic fluid flow of stories in an uninterrupted sequence. There is an evident interplay of space and art through the curvilinear walls offering a fresher perspective of art installation to engage the visitors with the exhibits from different angles. 

Narrative Museum Architecture

The linkage between museum curation and cultural narratives created the approach of “narrative museum architecture”, whose sole purpose is to cultivate narrative theories in relaying culture by using the visuality of architectural elements as a medium for storytelling. The three stages of museum development that define it as a medium for storytelling address the museum as a building, as a display arrangement, and as a space organisation. It can also be viewed on the spatial structure and circulation, spatial form and symbolisation, and lighting and material quality as well.

Some of the other indicators are: 

Rizqi Prastowo [1] 

1. Structuring
2. Framing

Fidyanti Samantha, et al. [2] 

1. Events 
2. Content 
3. Scenario 
4. Role 
5. Setting 
6. Intention

July Hidayat [3] 

1. Abstract 
2. Setting 
3. Problem or Conflict 
4. Evaluation
5. Resolution
6. Coda

Undi Gunawan and Bunga Yuridespita [4] 

1. The place 
2. The approach/the encounter 
3. The closed/opening, 
4. The container/ contained 
5. the memories 

Henny Hidajat [5] 

1. storyline and sequence 
2. Character
3. Setting 
4. Messages 
5. Exhibition arrangement 
6. Display 
7. Information board

A proposed methodology model for narrative museum architecture is to design on four levels of abstraction: history, story, narrative, and narration. They are depicted gradually from the more abstract to the more concrete. It is the level of required history in the museum, the chronological display of the story, the spatial organisation, and the architectural elements creating the storytelling medium which are: site, building, space, organisation, form-space, object, label, and human. Narrative museum architecture aims to create a coherent visitor experience where it should be object-centred, client-centred, community-centred, and narrative-centred.

Level of Narration

1. Site can be and is a medium for storytelling, the building is a direct reflection of its context, and with the change in context comes a complete change in the cultural interpretation of the building
2. Building: As illustrated before, the building in itself can be a direct translation of a certain narrative
3. Space-organisation: The sequence of spaces organised to relay a certain narrative change with the intended story and offer a storyline
4. Form-Space: The symbolism in a space offers a metaphorical interpretation of a certain feeling, sense, or emotion, through direct physical and tangible architectural elements such as space volume for enticing fear or openness. 
5. Object: It is directly affected by museum curation because it supports the display arrangement of artefacts.
6. Label: it is the literal narrative displayed in the form of posters, videos,  ..etc.
7. Human: It is an element of “community storytelling” that is conveyed by public guides and depends on the dynamic human aspect. 

AI in Museum Curation

The field of narrative museum architecture is affected by the evolution of technological advancements in architecture. Museum curation, like the rest of the architectural transformations, can make use of AI to shape cultural narratives. The use of dynamic exhibition design, having personalised experiences catered by visitor profiling, and storytelling through digital reconstruction are ways to bettering the museum experience through current and future advancements in design. It provides AI-generated layouts that analyse visitor flow, engagement data, and thematic connections to create optimal layouts. 

Museum curation and cultural narratives are extremely intertwined in shaping the understanding of culture, heritage, and history because they both contribute to the usage of architecture as a storytelling medium. Effective curation weaves artefacts into compelling stories, while thoughtful architectural design enhances these narratives by creating spaces that guide and engage visitors. The innovative designs not only serve the aesthetic characteristics of buildings but also contribute to the narrative journey of the exhibits. By harmonising storytelling with spatial design, museums can create powerful, educational, and transformative experiences that resonate with diverse audiences and foster a deeper appreciation of cultural heritage.

References:

[1] R. M. Prastowo, N. B. Hartanti, and N. Rahmah, “Penerapan Konsep Arsitektur Naratif Terhadap Tata Ruang Pameran Pada Museum,” in Seminar Nasional Pakar ke 2, 2019, pp. 1.8.1-1.8.7.

[2] F. Samantha, G. P. Adhitama, and H. A. Ahmad, “Penerapan Sistem Naratif pada Interior Ruang Pamer Museum Bahari Jakarta untuk Mencapai Komunikasi Edutaiment (Edukasi dan Entertainment),” in Prosiding Temu Ilmiah IPLBI 2018, 2018, pp. 1–9.

[3] J. Hidayat, “Creating an Inclusive Museum with A Narrative Design Approach,” Adv. Soc. Sci. Educ. Humanit. Res., vol. 207, pp. 153–159, 2018.

[4] U. Gunawan and B. Yuridespita, “The Narrative Possibilities on Reading Museum Architecture: Case study Museum Fatahillah,” in Proceedings of the XXIII World Congress of Philosophy, 2018, pp. 49–54.

[5] H. Hidajat, “Kajian Naratologi pada Tata Pameran Tetap Museum Perjuangan Kemerdekaan di Jakarta,” JSRW (Jurnal Senirupa Warn., vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 7–27, 2017.

[6] Trisno, R., Wibisono, A., Lianto, F., & Sularko, V. (2020). Translation of Narratology Model in Literature into Narrative Museum Architecture.

[7] Trisno, R., Wibisono, A. Y., Lianto, F., & Sularko, V. U. (2022). The Narration Layer of Fatahillah Museum Based on Narratology Model Analysis. 12(2).