Rights and rites; improving digital access to Indian specimens to unlock cultural significance and context.

权利和仪式；

• 批准号: AH/X00127X/1
• 负责人: Heather Pardoe
• 金额: $ 2.12万
• 依托单位: National Museum Wales
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FX00127X%2F1
• 关键词: Rights; rites; improving; digital; access

This project uses equipment obtained through the CapCo grant Phase One to generate 3-D-images of biocultural specimens from the Indian sub-continent, to share with our community partners in innovative ways, to facilitate discussion and encourage interaction between local community groups of Indian heritage and Museum Curators. Interpretation of the biocultural collection at Amgueddfa Cymru is restricted to Eurocentric, scientific descriptions which exclude people who do not feel represented by this approach. This narrow interpretation creates barriers to engagement with diverse communities who place greater value on interpretations drawn from the culture and language of a specimen's country of origin. Specimens currently lack an understanding of cultural context and significance to the communities or the diaspora, from where they are derived, so users are deprived of a wider understanding of the collection and ethnic groups are deprived of a voice through co-curation. Engagement is limited to those who can visit the Museum or material we can take to them (thus precluding large or delicate items).The project aims to: a) engage community groups of Indian heritage with relevant biocultural specimens; b) encourage dialogue and knowledge-exchange about the Indian flora; c) co-create new interpretations for Indian specimens, drawing on people's lived-experience and cultural understanding of the specimens' country of origin; d) create new permanent records for specimens to include the new, co-created content. We will achieve this by: e) using the 2-D imaging (and collection visits, Covid-19 permitting) to allow the community group to select priority specimens of interest or significance to them for 3-D scanning and interpretation; f) undertaking 3-D scanning of specimens to share with community groups, in person and online, to facilitate re-curation/co-curation and to solicit further comments and interpretations from wider audiences; g) working with community leaders to run workshops and collection visits, to draw out untold stories of the specimens and address concerns about their colonial past; h) producing blogs with new embedded 3D specimen images, co-created by participants and curators, explaining the significance of selected plants in traditional Indian rituals and ceremonies and/or describing their medicinal applications; i) creating short films about specific plants; films and blogs will be available on-line, to promulgate collection details internationally; j) on-line information and workshop outputs will be used to inspire original responses from creative-writing course participants; k) encouraging deeper discussion and recording of specimen's cultural context and sharing specimen details with communities in the original source countries; l) promoting intergenerational understanding of Indian traditions and supporting cultural identity; m) employing a digital assistant to support scanning work and ensure that relevant records are updated and widely accessible; derived data on cultural context will complement the scientific data, providing a more comprehensive representation of specimens. The project will culminate in a digital and on-site open-day, where curators and community will present their work. This project will increase the relevance of our collections to audiences who may historically have faced barriers to engaging with natural history collections in British museums. This work forms part of a wider decolonisation programme which aims to ensure that everyone in Wales feels represented by Amgueddfa Cymru.

该项目使用通过CapCo第一阶段拨款获得的设备来生成来自印度次大陆的生物文化标本的3D图像，以创新的方式与我们的社区合作伙伴分享，以促进讨论并鼓励当地印度遗产社区团体之间的互动和博物馆馆长。对Amgueddfa Cymru生物文化收藏的解释仅限于欧洲中心主义，科学描述，排除了那些不认为这种方法代表的人。这种狭隘的解释给与不同社区的接触造成了障碍，这些社区更重视从标本原产国的文化和语言中获得的解释。目前的标本缺乏对文化背景和对社区或散居地的重要性的理解，因此用户被剥夺了对收藏品的更广泛的理解，少数民族被剥夺了通过共同策展发出声音的机会。参与仅限于那些可以参观博物馆或我们可以带给他们的材料的人该项目的目的是：（a）让印第安遗产的社区团体参与有关的生物文化标本;（B）鼓励关于印第安植物群的对话和知识交流;（c）利用人们的生活经验和对标本原产国的文化理解，共同为印度标本创造新的解释; d）为标本创建新的永久记录，以包括新的共同创建的内容。我们将通过以下方式实现这一目标：e）使用二维成像（和采集访问，如果COVID-19允许的话），让社区团体选择他们感兴趣或重要的优先标本进行三维扫描和解读; f）进行标本的三维扫描，亲自和在线与社区团体分享，以促进再策展/共同策展，并从更广泛的受众那里征求进一步的意见和解读; g）与社区领导人合作举办研讨会和收集访问，找出标本的不为人知的故事，并解决他们的殖民历史的关注; h）制作博客与新的嵌入式3D标本图像，由参与者和策展人共同创建，解释选定的植物在传统印度仪式和仪式中的重要性和/或描述它们的药用价值; i）制作关于具体植物的短片;将在网上提供影片和博客，以便在国际上公布收集的详细资料; j）将利用网上信息和讲习班的产出，激发创意写作课程学员的原创反应; k）的鼓励更深入地讨论和记录标本的文化背景，并与原始来源的社区分享标本细节国家; l）促进各代人对印度传统的理解，支持文化特性; m）使用数字助理支持扫描工作，确保相关记录得到更新和广泛获取;关于文化背景的派生数据将补充科学数据，提供更全面的标本代表性。该项目将在数字和现场开放日达到高潮，策展人和社区将展示他们的工作。该项目将增加我们的收藏品与观众的相关性，这些观众在历史上可能面临与英国博物馆自然历史收藏品接触的障碍。这项工作是更广泛的非殖民化方案的一部分，该方案旨在确保威尔士的每个人都感到由Amgueddfa Cymru代表。