Tales Woven by the Museum: Beyond the Discourse on "Art"

What does it mean that media makes the \u27Art\u27? This is not an easy question to answer. Does art consist of nothing more than a discourse established by a system or institution? Or does it possess an eternal essence? When considering this issue in the context of museums - so called \u27space media\u27 - \u27Art\u27 is neither one nor the other, but is caught somewhere in the middle of an endless contest between the two. Employing media theory, this article considers the meaning of the \u27Art\u27 discourse and how it functions in three-dimensional space

A Brief History of Visitor Studies and its Issues: Offering an Essential Perspective for Effective Museum Communication in Japan

This paper will briefly go over the history of American visitor studies and examine the derivative issues. In doing so, it aims to demonstrate why it is necessary for Japanese museums to understand the historical background of the American system when seeking ways of adapting the study effectively within its Japanese counterpart,Visitor studies has developed mainly in the United States,and has greatly influenced the way people assume museum communication should be. In Japan, the study was introduced in the 1950s but was hardly implemented. It was not until recently that the visitor studies became a major concern for Japanese museums and was expected to play an important role in reforming the current situation. However,many issues have yet to be dealt with satisfactorily in the field of visitor studies. The field has not fully achieved its goal of effective communication. Moreover,the museum situation in Japan is totally different from that of the United States,and it is difficult to apply the study as it is. Therefore it is essential to have an in-depth understanding of the reasons behind the way the study has developed

Role of Nitrative and Oxidative DNA Damage in Inflammation-Related Carcinogenesis

Chronic inflammation induced by biological, chemical, and physical factors has been found to be associated with the increased risk of cancer in various organs. We revealed that infectious agents including liver fluke, Helicobacter pylori, and human papilloma virus and noninfectious agents such as asbestos fiber induced iNOS-dependent formation of 8-nitroguanine and 8-oxo-7, 8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) in cancer tissues and precancerous regions. Our results with the colocalization of phosphorylated ATM and γ-H2AX with 8-oxodG and 8-nitroguanine in inflammation-related cancer tissues suggest that DNA base damage leads to double-stranded breaks. It is interesting from the aspect of genetic instability. We also demonstrated IL-6-modulated iNOS expression via STAT3 and EGFR in Epstein-Barr-virus-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma and found promoter hypermethylation in several tumor suppressor genes. Such epigenetic alteration may occur by controlling the DNA methylation through IL-6-mediated JAK/STAT3 pathways. Collectively, 8-nitroguanine would be a useful biomarker for predicting the risk of inflammation-related cancers

ホスピタルリーチ・プロジェクト―博物館と院内学級をつなぐ試み―

The original text is available at http://www.um.u-tokyo.ac.jp/museum/ouroboros/08_01/activity.htm

Making a Manga Exhibition Accessible for the Visually-Impaired

This paper reviews and evaluates the exhibits for the visually-impaired in the exhibition ‘Manga Museums for Whom?’ In the art world, tactile art is one of the major methods for art appreciation by the visually-impaired. By examining tactile pictures as a reference, this paper analyzes how manga exhibitions can become accessible for the visually-impaired. In both pictures and manga, challenges lie in trying to make two-dimensional art accessible and tangible. By applying some aspects of tactile pictures to the manga exhibition, the paper examines various possibilities and difficulties.本稿では、筆者らが手掛けた「誰のためのマンガ展？」における視覚障害者コーナーの制作過程を、これまでにミュージアム等で試みられてきた触図による美術鑑賞を手がかりにしながら振り返り、評価する。そうすることで、究極の視覚メディアである「マンガの展示」という表現形式の意味を捉え返すと同時に、ミュージアムは果たして誰のために展示をつくっているのだろうか？ という根本的な問いについて考えたい