Collecting the 'Now'
UPDATE 21 March 2018 - Rescheduled dates and location.
Minerva Suite, RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin
10 and 11 May 2018
Following the cancellation in early March of the IMA annual conference due to adverse weather conditions, the IMA's conference working group have confirmed the rescheduled dates and location of this valuable event that will discuss contemporary collecting and processes. This website is being updated as confirmation comes through.
Minerva Suite, RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin
10 and 11 May 2018
Following the cancellation in early March of the IMA annual conference due to adverse weather conditions, the IMA's conference working group have confirmed the rescheduled dates and location of this valuable event that will discuss contemporary collecting and processes. This website is being updated as confirmation comes through.
RDS, Dublin. 10 and 11 May 2018
Do we have the objectivity to identify and select the items which will define our society for future generations? The IMA conference will discuss how museums can collect for the future and represent the 'now'.
We live in a period of unparalleled human consumption making the decision about what to preserve from our lives - and what to discard - increasingly difficult. Ironically, despite the unprecedented material abundance of our age, significant aspects of contemporary life are happening in a virtual world which most museums are still struggling to document and record. While museums seek to remain relevant, for many, their collections and collecting practices remain rooted in the past. Museums see themselves as egalitarian and democratic institutions, but this is not always reflected in their collections and the way they collect.
Collecting the 'Now' will examine how museums can ensure that the collections capture contemporary cultural changes and shifting perspectives, moving on in some cases from the collected object. It will aim to explore new, conceptual, collaborative and participatory ways to collect which will produce more imaginative and diverse museum collections and exhibitions for the future.
Do we have the objectivity to identify and select the items which will define our society for future generations? The IMA conference will discuss how museums can collect for the future and represent the 'now'.
We live in a period of unparalleled human consumption making the decision about what to preserve from our lives - and what to discard - increasingly difficult. Ironically, despite the unprecedented material abundance of our age, significant aspects of contemporary life are happening in a virtual world which most museums are still struggling to document and record. While museums seek to remain relevant, for many, their collections and collecting practices remain rooted in the past. Museums see themselves as egalitarian and democratic institutions, but this is not always reflected in their collections and the way they collect.
Collecting the 'Now' will examine how museums can ensure that the collections capture contemporary cultural changes and shifting perspectives, moving on in some cases from the collected object. It will aim to explore new, conceptual, collaborative and participatory ways to collect which will produce more imaginative and diverse museum collections and exhibitions for the future.
Image by TV3: Anglo Irish Bank sign, 2000-2011 being prepared for display at National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History