Barbara Wenk (noch Associate und bald Mitarbeiterin des Forschungskollegs Kulturwissenschaftliche Technikforschung) wird vom 25.-27. April 2006 bei der Tagung "The museum: A world forum - A major international conference and reunion to celebrate 40 years of museum studies at the University of Leicester" mit einem Poster-Beitrag beim Thema 3 "The Twenty-First Century Museum and Its Communities" vertreten sein:

Abstract:
Technology mediated at the museum: how to collect and exhibit technology at museums
In a world immersed with technology and technological objects, Museums of Science Technology and their collections can contribute considerably to the understanding of how technology became an important cultural factor and an integral part of our daily living and how we are handling technology in our everyday life. However, technology is hardly ever shown as an integral part of our cultural life – that is, also from the point of view of users and consumers and in context of how we actually handle, use, adapt, apply and experience technology in specific situations of application.
In my research I want to show how we could change the ways technology is mediated at museums if we define technological objects also as cultural objects and if we use an application- and experience-oriented approach towards technology.
In my research, I want to use an integral approach towards theory and practice. I will therefore link my theoretical findings with experiences and products of current museum work – that is, I will base my findings also on expert interviews with exhibition makers and curators and on the analysis of current museum exhibitions at seven European museums of Science and Technology.

Zum Thema der Tagung heißt es auf der Webseite des Departement of Museum Studies:

"The Museum: A World Forum

Nearly 200 years ago there was an explosion of public museums, and it seems that spirit of growth and diversification has never diminished. What made the idea so appropriate then and how do museums remain relevant today? The museum as a concept has been adopted by a diverse range of cultures, it embodies nationhood and identity, it concretises knowledge, understanding and social memory, it is a tool for social and educational development, it forms a political icon, it has become a technology for entertainment and communication. This conference will not mull over lost opportunities or the constant failure to realise the ideal, it is a celebration of the museum: what it was, what it is and what it might become. "

Zum Programm
Zu den Abstracts