Update: I want to lean more into telling a story of objects in a way that is digestable and using unique aspects of artifacts and artworks as a part of that story. Another interest I have is using similarly told stories to be curated into it’s own exhibition. Perhaps it’s a certain painting technique or art style that you would like to see more of, there would be a curated exhibition based on your interests that help you gain more out of a museum experience.

My idea, tentatively called Trace, is attempting to address finding the best way to learn the history of objects and exploring different aspects of artworks, cultural artifacts, crafts, etc. I want to be able to tell the story of how objects are made and highlight the process in which they were created and then preserved.

For example, in Kristen Gresh’s Memory Unearthed exhibition, photos and negatives created by photojournalist Henryk Ross are shown. Ross was ordered by Nazi’s to take photos in the Lodz ghetto. While he worked, he secretly took photos of what life under Nazi rule looked like. He buried the negatives only for them to be uncovered. Having background information negatives and contact sheets can help audiences better understand why the survival of these pieces of history are important. In order to tell the best stories about pieces, a deep dive on aspects a viewer might not have thought about before can drastically change the way they value the work they see.

My envisioned audience would be people who attend to learn more specific things about what they see. I think that Kristen Gresh could be a really good resource in terms of photographic interest but this concept can be applied to really any artifact, sculpture, or painting etc. In terms of technological approach I am thinking of a digital platform or even an attachment/extension to online exhibitions.