The institution of Museum: Another Look at Body, Content, and their Interaction Outcome

With present-day developments in the humanities and technology, many human-related concepts are undergoing radical redefinitions. Significant among them are new definitions and views regarding the contemporary museum, including the cherishing of the audience, the museum’s taking up of effective educational roles, and the museum’s research and dissemination, on top of the original tasks of collection and display of works. However, despite the rise of museums into social institutions some museums remain unaffected by developments, which is the case with some Iranian museums as they remain inert, occasionally mimicking Western galleries without considering their functioning and supporting structures. They do not appear to have any significant commitments to society or even their audience. This prompted the author to have a second look on the matter trying to establish the main influences, and that bearing in mind historical developments of museums, what can affect the formation of museum bodies and their contents, and how are audiences cherished? The research method is simultaneously descriptive and analytical using written literature on one hand and interviews with designers and researching curators on the other, to achieve as much transparency and depth as possible in dealing with the questions of this research. The paper is in three parts starting with identity of the museum and followed with its content and then its physicality and its variations. The audience is also scrutinised under the above categories. It concludes arguing for the necessity of revisiting museum formation roots, its definitions and evolution of its vital duties as a social institution, and the necessity of paying attention to museum’s architectural and content design to safeguard the presence of the audience. It also calls for a reference programme to regulate the formation of the museum’s content and body, and interactions between designers and curators in all stages from establishing its ontologies, to its scenarios and its design and implementation procedures.