Description
Book SynopsisThe transformation of museums from the 'dreary, dusty places' they used to be to places that people want to be in, alongside objects they want to be near and ideas they want to understand and then share has been extraordinary. During the last twenty-five years, millions of pounds have been poured into our national museums in the UK: as a result, they are certainly brighter and fuller. It is against this background that Dinah Casson has opened the service entrance of the museum a little. This book is not an explanation of what an exhibition designer does or how to do it. Instead, by means of a series of essays punctuated with comments from collaborators and visitors, it explores exhibition design and alerts the visitor's eye to this invisible craft. It explores questions such as: why are most paintings in carved, gilded frames, regardless of artist, period or subject matter? Why do so few contemporary art galleries have windows? If a label text irritates us, what should it say instead? Why do facsimiles make some people so uncomfortable? Why do we keep all this stuff? What is it that visitors want from our museums? In doing so, it offers enjoyable insights, which will add depth to our future visits through the front door (which is usually closed on Mondays) and will make us question what is shown, why it's shown where (and how) it is, what's written about it and how the interaction between museums and their designers has encouraged each to change.
Trade Review'fascinating...this illuminating and wide-ranging book should appeal to anyone who enjoys going to museums and galleries.' - Pamela Buxton,
RIBA Journal'Sometimes, though all too rarely, a book offers such clarity that you have to pinch yourself. Dinah Casson’s is one such and the happy conjunction of great experience and an acute power of observation... The book is a fascinating exercise in looking below the surface, and ‘behind the scenes’ in museums and art galleries. She leaves no stone unturned, examining the overlooked and underestimated aspects within exhibition spaces to challenge many of the shibboleths of the business.' –
SPAB magazine
Table of ContentsIntroduction; Chapter 1: Windows; Chapter 2: Frames; Chapter 3: Coat Check; Chapter 4: Facsimiles; Chapter 5: Texts; Chapter 6: Collections; Bibliography
