Sensing art and artifacts: explorations in sensory museology

Howes, D., Clarke, E., Macpherson, F. , Best, B. and Cox, R. (2018) Sensing art and artifacts: explorations in sensory museology. Senses and Society, 13(3), pp. 317-334. (doi: 10.1080/17458927.2018.1516024)

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Abstract

This article proposes a sensory studies methodology for the interpretation of museum objects. The proposed method unfolds in two phases: virtual encounter via an on-line catalog and actual exposure in the context of a handling workshop. In addition to exploring the écart between image and object, the “Sensing Art and Artifacts” exercise articulates a framework for arriving at a multisensory, cross-cultural, interactive understanding of aesthetic value. The case studies presented here involve four objects from the collection of the Hunterian Museum as sensed and interpreted by scholars of psychology, philosophy, sociology, and anthropology. It is proposed that aesthetic judgment in the expanded (cross-cultural) sense contemplated here involves apprehending the museum object through multiple sensory modalities in place of the conventional Western fixation on visible form.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This work was supported by the Leverhulme Trust [grant number IN-2015-016].
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Macpherson, Professor Fiona
Authors: Howes, D., Clarke, E., Macpherson, F., Best, B., and Cox, R.
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Philosophy
Journal Name:Senses and Society
Publisher:Taylor & Francis
ISSN:1745-8927
ISSN (Online):1745-8935
Published Online:13 November 2018

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