MUSEOLOGY

Specific Foundation / Core

The course is also offered to exchange programme students.

The course consists of two parts: a theoretical part and a synthetic/design part. The first aims to familiarize students with the theoretical tools of New Museology, which deals with the theory of material culture. It also includes lessons of New History, which provides the framework for the introspective examination of memory, oblivion and the construction of historical narratives, as well as for exploring the relationships between historical written or oral and material evidence. The theory includes also lessons of semiotics, which is of central importance for the synthetic design of an exhibition environment or for the design that deals with the interpretation of monuments. In other words this "scientific" - theoretical part deals with history, the understanding and interpretation of cultural products (exhibits, monuments or archaeological sites) within their wider cultural, political and social context. The second synthetic/design part has a dual direction: the first deals with the design of meanings (conceptual design) and the second with the design of space (physical-spatial planning). The latter points to both what a cultural product is, but also to the ways it can be communicated to or perceived by the public. Thus the lesson of Museology includes both lectures and studios, which support the education of an architect in architectural design through the example of the museum, the museum exhibition or the presentation of a cultural environment, such as a monument, a historical complex or an archaeological site. More precisely:It is important that the students are aware of the theoretical framework within which, and through which, the design subject can be approached. The "design of meaning" or "conceptual design", is approached on the basis of a museological programming which documents and analyses a given collection in its parts and as a whole, a monument, a historic complex or an archaeological site before the design of the space. The above analysis, after examining the actual historical data, continues with the contemporary conditions and the aims and goals of exhibiting or reevaluating and is followed by the synthetic design of concepts (narratives), with a focus on contemporary theoretical approaches of culture and civilisation, material culture, post-processual archaeology, phenomenology of landscape and semiotics of space, the New History and New Museology approaches. The study of the meaning of material culture and its spatial expression is therefore to be considered as the theoretical and scientific key viewpoint of the course.The effort lies in helping the students consolidate the unbreakable circular relationship between the conceptual-museological design (design of meaning) and the architectural-museological one (spatial design), and to make clear that the design of meaning feeds and is fed by the architectural design in a continual and endless interaction. It lies also in helping students to experience a complete and "meaningful" design process.

New museology, theory of material culture, interpretation of the cultural product, conceptual-museological design, architectural design, museum design, revaluation of archeological sites

28-02-2020