Zintuiglijkheid in musea

Samenvatting

Jackie Burema describes the current trend in museums to create sensory experiences that stimulate not only sight but also smell and touch. She discusses the tension between the desire to allow the public to experience museum objects in different ways and the need to protect the objects from damage and decay. She does this using Paleis Het Loo and Museum Het Valkhof as examples, two museums that focus on sensory experiences. Because Burema herself works at both museums, she can draw on examples from her own daily practice. She convincingly and nuancedly explains that there is no comprehensive formula for incorporating sensory experiences into museum presentations. Instead, the possibilities and risks of appealing more strongly to touch, smell, taste and hearing in the museum context must be considered for each object, each exhibition and each exhibition space.