dispatches from a museum within museums
museum//camera: what might it look like if we could hear a museum thinking... how does it feel like to be up close to an object and in doubt... How do patterns of information take shape, transforming over time… What gives consistency to the creation of such an assemblage… might its unique photospherics hold the secret to alternative museum futures
Welcome to this web-based exploration of relational conservation, I've developed as a conservator of photographs at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. The website museum//camera, highlights the intimate and reciprocal relations between the museum and photography, fostering the 'deeply felt everyday.' This platform serves as the key contribution to knowledge in my PhD, illustrating the transformative potential of conservation.
Central to this is attunement—attending to the nuanced interactions between conservators, objects, and environments. This PhD uses research-as-practice to challenge traditional disciplinary boundaries, integrating experimental strategies to unveil new conservation dialogues. It is informed by diverse fields and thinkers, advocating a multi-faceted response to contemporary museum challenges.
This research, blending material, social, theoretical, and historical insights, confronts "default-modern" norms to emphasise conservation's affective and experiential dimensions. Join us to explore the unique atmospherics of the 'deeply felt everyday' that define this innovative journey, where creativity and critical inquiry meet in our shared material and social worlds.