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  • Essay / African art - 1789

    In the article “Exposing Intention: Some Prerequisites for the Visual Display of Culturally Useful Objects,” the author, Michael Baxandall, primarily discussed relationships within the group of three agents on their influence and the reflection of the cultural object. museum artifacts and understanding the cultural elements behind the exhibit. In the first part of this article, I will identify the author's points of view. In part two, I will analyze the layout of the “Imagining the Underground” gallery in Earth Matters at the Fowler Museum at UCLA. Several discussions related to the museum settings and the article will be discussed interactively. Generally speaking, this article attempts to show the robustness and weakness of Baxandall's model, which will be clarified. Baxandall refined his discussion of the problem by assuming that the gallery's exhibitions were permanent and curatorial, meaning that the primary artifact was for inspection. placed in the center of the kitchen around with additional elements. He also assumed that viewers were educational members of a developed society, who appreciated both the expected interesting view of objects and the functional purpose of artifacts. After illustrating this hypothesis, he raised the main question that different viewers with different cultural backgrounds may have different ideas about the artifact. This complicated situation was not only the result of the spectators, but also of the object itself and the exhibition organizers. The hypothesis is strong and will be discussed later. The author gave an example to show this scenario and discussed the effect on the viewer of the basic information contained in the label regarding manufacture and function. First, the label didn't cover... middle of paper... the current one. Therefore, if there are a lot of viewers, people might get stuck there. My suggestion would be that the film be placed in another room with more chairs. In conclusion, although there are several weaknesses of the “Imagining the Underground” gallery, it strongly supports Baxandall's ideas and perfectly serves up a feast for viewers. of African culture and art. Its layout, exhibition style and labels are greatly organized and interact with Baxandall's idea. Baxandall's model and ideas and the example of this gallery should be considered in future gallery construction. ReferenceBaxandall, Michael. “Exhibition Intention: Some Prerequisites for the Visual Exhibition of Culturally Useful Objects.” Exhibiting cultures: poetics and politics of museum exhibition (1991): 33-41.