Making Contact in an exhibition zone: Displaying contemporary cultural diversity in Donegal, Ireland, through an installation of visual and material portraits

The ‘museum as contact zone’ (Clifford 1997: 192) has been a concept that has theoretically framed the inclusion of different cultures in museums. The contact zone concept has been revisited, for example by Boast 2011. Further, the idea of the ‘dialogic contact zone’ (Witcomb 2003; Bennett 2006) is used in relation to exhibition communication techniques that aim to establish a dialogue on cultural diversity between visitors, exhibitions and curators. This paper sets out to reframe the contact zone concept, by considering both the nature and form of contact in an exhibition. The method used is the practical curation of one exhibition by the author in Ireland called Destination Donegal. The main argument is that a curatorial production focused on individual people can create an empathetic contact zone between individual subjects and visitors, achieved through the non-verbal display language of art installation using multimedia portraits

Group Assessments to Help Build Online Learning Communities in Biomedical Science Distance Learning Programmes

Introduction: Biomedical Science distance learning courses offer flexibility in study while in employment. Asynchronous and self-learning approaches are common within such courses and often student-student interaction is limited. The aims of this study were to establish learning communities, develop confidence in participating in online teamwork and foster an appreciation of transferable skills including digital capabilities through remote group activities. Materials and Methods: Two cohorts of students (n = 20/n = 21) were enrolled in a microbiology module of an IBMS accredited MSc distance learning course. Groups of 4–5 students produced a digital output relating to current global infection-related issues, namely, assignment 1, production of a slide deck, which peers could use as learning resources and assignment 2, a voiceover PowerPoint debate, and infographic, voting assessment and peer/self-marking. Students also prepared reflections using written format and a FlipGrid video-recording. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on reflections from all students. Students completed a pre- and post-assignment survey focused on the development of transferable skills for the biomedical sector. Results: Students’ skills and confidence increased following completion of the group assignment, as evident from the pre- and post-questionnaire responses, namely, possession of digital skills and digital creation abilities (29% v 83%), applying for jobs which require digital skills (54% v 89%), talking about examples of using digital media during job interviews (21% v 78%) and demonstration of creativity during assignment tasks (33% v 90%). Critical thinking was more commonly demonstrated during the debate in comparison to the slide deck activity (p = 0.001). The importance of developing digital skills, was higher following completion of the group activities (p = 0.03). Students reflected on the value of the group activities in relation to knowledge acquisition (85%, 86%), collegiality (70%, 71%), digital skills development (80%, 90%), the fact that the activities were enjoyable (70%, 67%) and the development of peer interaction and support (50%, 67%) in relation to assignment 1 and 2, respectively. Discussion: Increasingly digital technologies are being used in the healthcare sector resulting in updated HCPC Standards of Proficiency. This study highlights that virtual group activities promote the establishment of supportive learning communities and the development of transferable skills including digital capabilities for application within the biomedical science workplace

Real life stories in everyday objects: approaches and methodologies in the documentation of everyday life through material culture

Museum curators have the potential to make diverse representations of present day everyday life through everyday things. The aim of this research is to demonstrate that everyday objects have a significant role in the recording, representation and communication of everyday life. This thesis contributes to curatorial theory, by suggesting ways and means by which everyday life and things can be 'documented', that is collected, interpreted and displayed. Different theoretical approaches and methods from three bodies of literature are explored, that have a bearing on the primary research question: How can the interpretation, collection, and display of everyday life through present day everyday objects be enhanced in museums and galleries? By synthesizing ideas from different bodies of literature, Material Culture Studies, Everyday Life Studies and Museum Studies, the research brings a new theoretical contribution to the way everyday mass-produced things are curated in museums. A diverse range of approaches documenting present day everyday life with objects is explored through three studies: contemporary art, contemporary collecting in museums, and an exhibition. Methods used include interviews with artists and curators and mounting an exhibition. The first study analyses the meanings and materiality of artworks revealing deeper understandings of the subjective experience of everyday life. The second study evaluates the ethnographic approach to collecting the home by Swedish museums. The third study demonstrates how cultural diversity can be displayed through clothes and personal possessions of twelve individuals, in an exhibition as 'contact zone'. The conclusions are that: documentation of present day everyday life in museums can incorporate the subjective experience of everyday life; concepts of proximity and materiality can contribute to a better understanding of everyday things, and a social history curator of contemporary life can become a bricoleur - an active, creative collector and maker of meanings about everyday life using things.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Making Contact in an exhibition zone: Displaying contemporary cultural diversity in Donegal, Ireland, through an installation of visual and material portraits

The ‘museum as contact zone’ (Clifford 1997: 192) has been a concept that has theoretically framed the inclusion of different cultures in museums. The contact zone concept has been revisited, for example by Boast 2011. Further, the idea of the ‘dialogic contact zone’ (Witcomb 2003; Bennett 2006) is used in relation to exhibition communication techniques that aim to establish a dialogue on cultural diversity between visitors, exhibitions and curators. This paper sets out to reframe the contact zone concept, by considering both the nature and form of contact in an exhibition. The method used is the practical curation of one exhibition by the author in Ireland called Destination Donegal. The main argument is that a curatorial production focused on individual people can create an empathetic contact zone between individual subjects and visitors, achieved through the non-verbal display language of art installation using multimedia portraits