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How might museum collections help us navigate beyond our current crisis?
‘The past few weeks have exposed the fact that the biggest things can always change... We’re not watching a movie: we’re writing one, together’ Peter C Baker
THREAD
‘The past few weeks have exposed the fact that the biggest things can always change... We’re not watching a movie: we’re writing one, together’ Peter C Baker
THREAD
In mid-March Happy Museum launched Museums and the Imperative for Change (part of #SeasonforChange2020 in the run up to COP26) exploring societal change through museum collections to inform the future.
https://bit.ly/2UzKYEE
https://bit.ly/2UzKYEE
Just two short weeks since that launch, we find ourselves in the midst of seismic global change.
Responding to this historic moment, academics, writers and activists are turning to the past in search of deeper understanding to inform our response....
Responding to this historic moment, academics, writers and activists are turning to the past in search of deeper understanding to inform our response....
“From the Athens plague in 430BC … to the Black Death in the Middle Ages… public health crises leave their mark" . @hackneylad explores historical precedents for the impact of pandemics on cities https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/26/life-after-coronavirus-pandemic-change-world?CMP=share_btn_tw
Researcher Richard Hobday takes lessons from the 1918 Influenza Pandemic to explore our current pandemic response.
‘Fresh air, sunlight and improvised face masks seemed to work a century ago; and they might help us now.’ https://link.medium.com/caKnpwLjK4
‘Fresh air, sunlight and improvised face masks seemed to work a century ago; and they might help us now.’ https://link.medium.com/caKnpwLjK4
Programme partners @RapidTransition look to past examples of rapid societal change to illuminate potential responses to the Climate Emergency creating an evidence base of cases covering: food, energy, homes, transport, cities and more. https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/can-we-transform-the-world-in-12-years/p073j3z5?playlist=sustainable-thinking
Larry Elliot of @guardian explores how past crises have led to shifts in economic thinking. ‘The 1929 crash triggered a sea change. Ideas such as universal basic income suggest Covid-19 could do likewise’ https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/mar/22/the-coronavirus-is-leading-to-a-whole-new-way-of-economic-thinking?CMP=share_btn_tw
Societal responses to crises are by no means uniformly positive.
Author @NaomiAKlein argues Governments around the world are busily exploiting the coronavirus crisis to push for no-strings-attached corporate bailouts and regulatory rollbacks.
Author @NaomiAKlein argues Governments around the world are busily exploiting the coronavirus crisis to push for no-strings-attached corporate bailouts and regulatory rollbacks.
‘Some believe the pandemic is a once-in-a-generation chance to remake society and build a better future. Others fear it may only make existing injustices worse.‘ @apcbapcb seeks optimism in the potential to build on solidarity created by the crisis. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/31/how-will-the-world-emerge-from-the-coronavirus-crisis?CMP=share_btn_tw
In The Genie’s Out of the Bottle #happymuseum partner @valuesandframes explore how the current and visible outpouring of kindness and compassion could be supported and encouraged to flourish beyond COVID-19.
https://valuesandframes.org/the-genies-out-of-the-bottle
https://valuesandframes.org/the-genies-out-of-the-bottle
We cannot know what will emerge from this unprecedented combination of localised isolation and global connection.
‘the Covid-19 disaster represents an opportunity for the human race—one in which each one of us has a meaningful part to play.’ @JeremyRLent https://patternsofmeaning.com/2020/04/02/coronavirus-spells-the-end-of-the-neoliberal-era-whats-next/
‘the Covid-19 disaster represents an opportunity for the human race—one in which each one of us has a meaningful part to play.’ @JeremyRLent https://patternsofmeaning.com/2020/04/02/coronavirus-spells-the-end-of-the-neoliberal-era-whats-next/
What part can museums play to support a resilient, healthy and kinder society for all of us to enjoy in the future?
What stories can we share from our past to support future change that is just and sustainable?
What stories can we share from our past to support future change that is just and sustainable?
What do our collections tell us about what we truly value and what we wish to preserve and celebrate in this moment?
What opportunity is there for museums to rethink their role and purpose in a post Covid-19 world?
What opportunity is there for museums to rethink their role and purpose in a post Covid-19 world?
We’d love to hear your thoughts…
“We cannot welcome disaster, but we can value the responses, both practical and psychological.”
Rebecca Solnit
(full version of this thread https://bit.ly/2xW5rul )
“We cannot welcome disaster, but we can value the responses, both practical and psychological.”
Rebecca Solnit
(full version of this thread https://bit.ly/2xW5rul )
