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Chesnokova E. The Mode of a Museum Artifact in a Vernacular Museum: the Production of a New Status of a Thing

Elena Chesnokova
Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology named after N. N. Miklouho-Maclay of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Moscow, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0002-9815-3042
E-mail: chesnokova.eg33@gmail.com 

 

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ABSTRACT. The article provides an analysis of the process of creating an exhibit within the context of a vernacular museum. This type of museum differs from traditional museums in that its operations are guided not by professional museum practices, but rather by individual values and ideas about the most appropriate methods and forms for achieving its objectives. An important factor in transforming an object into a museum artifact for such a museum is the ability of the object to evoke an emotional response from person, triggering memories and sensations from the past. This is achieved through the tension caused by the simultaneous feeling of “proximity” and “distance” in relation to the thing. The next step in the process of “turning” objects into museum artifacts is the owner's subjective assessment of their effectiveness in this role and their desire to acquire more such objects. The growing collection of items gradually comes into conflict with the everyday life surrounding. To resolve this conflict, a special place is allocated, which begins to function as a museum. Through acquiring a museum form, the collection gains some of the social capital intrinsic to this institution, and the items that become museum artifacts acquire social significance. At the vernacular museum, items primarily realize their evocative potential through their association with personal histories, and secondarily, as evidence of social and cultural processes.

 

KEYWORDS: vernacular museum, evocative object, museum artifact, Museum of Soviet Life, materiality research

 

FOR CITATION: Chesnokova E. The Mode of a Museum Artifact in a Vernacular Museum: the Production of a New Status of a Thing. Kunstkamera. 2024. 3(25): 16–27. (In Russian). doi 10.31250/2618-8619-2024-3(25)-16-27 

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8619-2024-3(25)-16-27
UDC 069

 

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