The latest in the Artefacts series, Behind the Exhibit examines scientific heritage and narratives behind public display of scientific artifacts in national and international exhibitions and science museums throughout the twentieth century. Developed from the Artefacts XX conference, convened 20–22 September 2015 at the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, during Expo Milan 2015, this volume brings together museum curators and historians of science and technology to present case studies from the United States, Europe, Russia, and Japan. What emerged is a study of the tension between basic science and technological applications, the multilayered role of history, the appearance and disappearance of artifacts, and the search for a balance between entertainment and education.
Résumé À la demande de la Fédération textile de la cgt , un travail d’enquête a été entrepris en 2003 dans trois cas de fermeture d’usines textiles, auprès des anciens salariés de Levi’s, Cellatex et Mossley. Il s’est agi, à partir de trois moments clés (annonce de la fermeture, lutte et après-conflit), de rendre compte de ce que la fin du travail entraîne : un traumatisme et une possible reconstruction. La question est alors : après le traumatisme du licenciement, comment se reconstruire ? Dans les trois cas, on observe l’existence de structures associatives assurant une forme de veille et d’entraide mutuelle. Grâce à elles, les anciens salariés rencontrent des pratiques culturelles (cinéma, théâtre, écriture) qu’ils vont eux-mêmes expérimenter, devenant acteurs à leur tour et « objets de culture ». On verra comment cette appropriation culturelle a joué dans la reconstruction de leur intégrité.
With their landmark architectures, exhibitions and museums of science and technology partake in the spatial inscription of science in twentieth century landscapes. Unlike other beacons of progress, exhibitions and museums of science and technology double up, inside, as material arrangements of objects, visuals and texts aiming to confer meaning onto the modern world. They both embody and seek to order the spectacle of modernity while often being deployed with the aim of promoting particular visions of social and material progress. An approach sensitive to the material, spatial, and experiential dimensions of displaying science and technology suggests that exhibitions and museums were in the twentieth century crucial sites for reflecting upon and promoting particular futures.
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