Museology and Heritage: A Proposal for Tangible Interactive Education

Abstract

When speaking of museums, we assume the definitions that have been in use from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present. According to these definitions, registration, conservation, research, and exhibition are accepted as the minimum and unavoidable tasks of museum practice.

However, the so-called informal education offered by this type of institution is scarcely, if at all, harmonized with the plans and programs of formal education. Even fewer examples can be cited of concern for younger segments of learners, that is, children at preschool and basic education levels. The same may be said of visitors who present some type or degree of disability, especially visual, auditory, or motor disabilities, among others. Today, experiences in this field that could guide us remain scarce and still at a preliminary stage.

For this purpose, an exhibition has been predesigned to synthesize the general museographic discourse within a reduced space. This has been proposed through the preparation of reproductions of archaeological museographic material, together with the design of ad hoc furniture and layout. This means that the exhibited “objects” —reproductions— and the supporting museographic materials will be able to be handled without major restrictions, making direct interaction between the public and the exhibits possible. Such interaction would otherwise be prohibited because of the risk of deterioration that frequent handling would pose to the original pieces.