Curating Emotions: Exploring emotional competence in curatorial practice

Project Information

MusE

Grant agreement ID: 101022941

DOI

10.3030/101022941

Project closed

EC signature date 16 March 2021

Start date 1 October 2021

End date 29 June 2024

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 203 149,44

EU contribution

€ 203 149,44

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITE DE GENEVE
Switzerland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MusE (Curating Emotions: Exploring emotional competence in curatorial practice)

Reporting period: 2021-10-01 to 2023-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The aim of this MSCA fellowship has been to engage in cross-disciplinary (humanities-affective sciences) and cross-sectoral (academia-museum) research on emotions in museums. What is represented in museums may influence what visitors will know, think, remember and do – as a consequence of what they felt. This is particularly consequential in the current context of global crises. Yet, whilst we know that exhibitions affect us, virtually no scholarly attention had been paid to emotions in museum work. This was the main problem addressed in the project.
What is the place and role of emotions in museum work? How is engagement with emotions impacting on museum work and related skills? These questions were answered through three interrelated objectives: O1.(WP1) exploration of theories and research methods on emotions in a cross-disciplinary perspective (in museum studies and affective sciences); O2. (WP2) empirical analysis of the role of emotions in museum practice; O3 (WP3) (conclusion of the action) theorization of the role of emotions in museum work through the concept of affective curatorship, and dissemination of research findings.
Based at the Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (CISA), University of Geneva, I acquired essential training in the study of emotions and applied this new knowledge and skills in the production of research outputs addressing scholars (across the humanities, social sciences, and affective sciences), museum professionals, as well as the public at large.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

WP1 Literature research (emotion theory in psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, linguistics); training in the study of emotions.
WP2 empirical research at International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum (MICR), and Natural History Museum, Geneva (one-to-one and group meetings with museum professionals, attendance of institutional meetings, exhibition analysis, participation in the museums’ public events programs).
WP3 theorization and dissemination

SINGLE-AUTHOR PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES:

1. 2023 ‘The Affective Turn in Museums and the Rise of Affective Curatorship’, Museum Management and Curatorship,38:1, 61-75, https://doi.org/10.1080/09647775.2022.2132993.

2. 2023 ‘Claiming ecological grief’, Ambio. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-023-01962-w

3. 2023 ‘Anthropocenic Emotions’, NiCHE, https://niche-canada.org/2023/05/09/anthropoce nic-emotions/

4. 2024 ‘Awe in the Museum’, Museum Management and Curatorship. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09647775.2024.2331442

5. 2024 (forthcoming) ‘(Re-)Learning to Relate to the Planet’, Suomen Antropologi.

6. 2024 (under peer-review) "The Affective Affordances of Ecopoetry" Ecozon@

7. 2024 (under peer-review) 'A call for ‘emotional research’, with M. Gobbi, D. Gaudio, The Anthropocene Review.

BOOK CHAPTERS

1. 2024 (forthcoming) “Co-Emoting Around Museum Objects” in Co-creation and Collaboration in Museums, Edmundson, Haviland (eds), Routledge.

2. 2024 (forthcoming, with Gowlland) ‘Museums and Indigenous Revitalisation’ in Museum in Asia, Yunci (ed), Routledge.

3. 2023 “Poetry and ecological awareness”, in Poetry and Climate Crisis: Ede, Kleppe, Sorby (eds), p. 222-232. Routledge.

OTHER ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS:

1. 2022 [Exhibition Review] ‘Tout Contre la Terre’, Geneva Museum of Natural History. Museum and Society, vol.20 (2): 328-331.

2. 2022 ‘Ripensare la Restituzione’ Research on Visual Cultures. Vol, 39. https://www.roots-routes.org/ripensare-la-restituzione-dalla-proprieta-alla-relazione-di-marzia-varutti/

PUBLICATIONS FOR MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS:

1. 2023 Ten Ideas for a Caring Museum. Toolkit for Museum Professionals. also in French

2. 2022 ‘The Emotional Turn in Museum Practice’, ICOM Voices, https://icom.museum/en/news/the-emotional-turn-in-museum-practice/

2022-23 co-organizer (with Valérie Gorin, UNIGE, Pascal Hufschmid, director MICR) panel discussions on Mental Health. https://redcrossmuseum.ch/events/lets-talk-about-mental-health/?lang=default

CONFERENCES, SEMINARS etc.

1. 2022 ‘Emotions and Curatorial Practice’, lecture CISA, 18 January.
2. 2022 Podcast ECOLINT, 8 February. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7zDkCccroKPchnuNHHea3w
3. 2022 Public talk, “Le rôle des émotions face à la crise écologique”, Alternatiba Festival, UNIGE, 3 September.
4. 2022 ‘Emotions in Museums’, Annual Research Forum, CISA. 24-25 November.
5. 2022 ‘Why talking of mental health in a museum?’, discussant Mental health panel, MICR 8 December.
6. 2023 ‘How museums can promote mental health’, discussant, Mental health panel, MICR, 9 February.
7. 2023 ‘Ecological Grief as Relationship’, Finnish Anthropology Conference, Rovaniemi, 21-23 March.
8. 2023 ‘The new Sámi gallery’, workshop, Síida Museum, Finland, 24 March 2023.
9. 2024 ‘Mourning more-than-human losses (in museums)’, SÁMIPOLITY workshop, Finland 14-15 May 2024
10. 2024 ‘Affective curatorship’, museum professionals workshop, Jewish Museum, Vienna, 27-28 June 2024.
11. ( forthcoming)2024 title TBA, keynote conference: New futures of care, Science Museum, London, 20 November.
12. (forthcoming) 2024 Loosing Glaciers: the emotional dimensions, workshop, MUSE, Trento, Italy. 17-19 December.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

This has been a pioneer study which moved well beyond the state of the art, as there was virtually no study of emotions in museum practice. This project has paved the way for the theorization and further investigation of emotions in museums through the development of a new theory (the affective turn in museums) and a new concept (affective curatorship), whilst also experimenting with innovative combinations of research methods from museum studies, psychology and linguistics, in dialogue with museum professionals. This theoretical framework and concept are applicable to museums beyond the case studies (this has been confirmed directly to the PI also through publications and presentations feedback).
In terms of impacts, the work carried out has an impact on museum work, as my publications have made visible and theorized the ‘emotion work’ inherent in museum work. I have received positive feedback in this sense, when specifically addressing museum professional audiences through publications such as the 10 Ideas for a Caring Museum toolkit, or the article for ICOM Voices (details above), and presentations such as my intervention to the workshop for museum professionals Feelings in Focus, Museums and Emotions, in Vienna).
The project has also positive impacts in the education sector: potential users include teachers and students. I have addressed students at the Geneva Ecole Internationale, ECOLINT (and the wider public) through the podcast interview for ECOLINT Voyage au Centre des Arts. Also, my article ‘Claiming Ecological Grief’ is being used in teaching undergraduate psychology students at the University of Geneva.
In terms of broader societal impact, I have disseminated my work to local (Geneva) audiences in English and French through presentations at local events (eg. Alternatiba Festival), and the co-organization and contribution to the panel discussions on emotional wellbeing and mental health at the International Museum of the Red Cross.

Pixabay, CC0 Content.