Museum Explorations
@museumexplorations.bsky.social
A network of people at Warwick University and the local area interested in museums and museum studies. Curated by Dr Robert O'Toole of the Digital Arts and Humanities Lab, Faculty of Arts. http://warwick.ac.uk/museum-studies for podcasts, videos, and more.
I've been enjoying this series of videos with Al Murray and Tank Museum historian James Donaldson, who is really engaging. Good to see younger academics getting jobs like that.
youtu.be/a4PpaGfM54U?...
youtu.be/a4PpaGfM54U?...
Al Murray & The COMET - Britain's Greatest Tank of WW2!
YouTube video by WW2 Headquarters
youtu.be
December 8, 2025 at 11:51 AM
I've been enjoying this series of videos with Al Murray and Tank Museum historian James Donaldson, who is really engaging. Good to see younger academics getting jobs like that.
youtu.be/a4PpaGfM54U?...
youtu.be/a4PpaGfM54U?...
Are museums using social media effectively to reach diverse audiences? Not much.
Ellen Charlesworth of Durham University speaking to our sister podcast Media Whatever.
creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...
Ellen Charlesworth of Durham University speaking to our sister podcast Media Whatever.
creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...
Museums Get Social! - Media Whatever Podcast with Ellen Charlesworth by Media Whatever
Our hosts Chris Bilton and guest host Cecilia Ghidotti are joined by Ellen Charlesworth from Durham University to discuss how museums, often with very limited resources, attempt to use social media a...
creators.spotify.com
December 8, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Are museums using social media effectively to reach diverse audiences? Not much.
Ellen Charlesworth of Durham University speaking to our sister podcast Media Whatever.
creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...
Ellen Charlesworth of Durham University speaking to our sister podcast Media Whatever.
creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...
Dinosaur Journey Museum, Colorado. Nature and armour, presented with humour.
December 6, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Dinosaur Journey Museum, Colorado. Nature and armour, presented with humour.
@tetzoo.bsky.social I’m starting to find familiar faces from good old Twitter days on bluesky. Nice to see you! Hopefully there are more palaeo people here.
December 6, 2025 at 10:11 AM
@tetzoo.bsky.social I’m starting to find familiar faces from good old Twitter days on bluesky. Nice to see you! Hopefully there are more palaeo people here.
Two great books on experience design and communication design by Dan and Chip Heath.
Every museum designer should read them. Anyone designing anything should read them. Everyone should read them!
Every museum designer should read them. Anyone designing anything should read them. Everyone should read them!
December 6, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Two great books on experience design and communication design by Dan and Chip Heath.
Every museum designer should read them. Anyone designing anything should read them. Everyone should read them!
Every museum designer should read them. Anyone designing anything should read them. Everyone should read them!
An excellent book full of good advice. We are running Writing Labs for our students in the Arts Faculty. This will make things much clearer.
December 6, 2025 at 10:00 AM
An excellent book full of good advice. We are running Writing Labs for our students in the Arts Faculty. This will make things much clearer.
Today we are at the Museums + Tech conference at the Think Tank Museum in Birmingham.
December 5, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Today we are at the Museums + Tech conference at the Think Tank Museum in Birmingham.
Reposted by Museum Explorations
December 2, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Latest podcast from We Are FAB People.
The Creatives Institute, led by Raphael Taylor, is a collective of students from Warwick University, supporting emerging artists through exhibitions, events, magazine, and careers forum.
open.spotify.com/episode/340m...
The Creatives Institute, led by Raphael Taylor, is a collective of students from Warwick University, supporting emerging artists through exhibitions, events, magazine, and careers forum.
open.spotify.com/episode/340m...
Creatives Institute, Raphael Taylor, Monica Brown, Annabel Rainbow
open.spotify.com
November 30, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Latest podcast from We Are FAB People.
The Creatives Institute, led by Raphael Taylor, is a collective of students from Warwick University, supporting emerging artists through exhibitions, events, magazine, and careers forum.
open.spotify.com/episode/340m...
The Creatives Institute, led by Raphael Taylor, is a collective of students from Warwick University, supporting emerging artists through exhibitions, events, magazine, and careers forum.
open.spotify.com/episode/340m...
Some images from our recent visit to the Design Museum in London. This was part of a UKRI Future Observatory Design Accelerator project.
www.instagram.com/p/DRmEIxhjBN...
www.instagram.com/p/DRmEIxhjBN...
November 28, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Some images from our recent visit to the Design Museum in London. This was part of a UKRI Future Observatory Design Accelerator project.
www.instagram.com/p/DRmEIxhjBN...
www.instagram.com/p/DRmEIxhjBN...
Our latest podcast is out now.
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
Maialen Maugers (who has researched the museum) and Robert O'Toole from Warwick were given a tour and a chance to discuss the museum's makeover with head of participation at BMAG, Andrea Bonnell.
open.spotify.com/episode/4kIH...
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
Maialen Maugers (who has researched the museum) and Robert O'Toole from Warwick were given a tour and a chance to discuss the museum's makeover with head of participation at BMAG, Andrea Bonnell.
open.spotify.com/episode/4kIH...
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
open.spotify.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Our latest podcast is out now.
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
Maialen Maugers (who has researched the museum) and Robert O'Toole from Warwick were given a tour and a chance to discuss the museum's makeover with head of participation at BMAG, Andrea Bonnell.
open.spotify.com/episode/4kIH...
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
Maialen Maugers (who has researched the museum) and Robert O'Toole from Warwick were given a tour and a chance to discuss the museum's makeover with head of participation at BMAG, Andrea Bonnell.
open.spotify.com/episode/4kIH...
There were people in this photo of the Ozzy Osbourne exhibition at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The Clean Up tool in Apple Photos has removed them, except for a ghostly figure behind the glass case. Is it? Could it be? The ghost of the legend himself? Or is that just a Shot in the Dark?
November 20, 2025 at 2:20 PM
There were people in this photo of the Ozzy Osbourne exhibition at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The Clean Up tool in Apple Photos has removed them, except for a ghostly figure behind the glass case. Is it? Could it be? The ghost of the legend himself? Or is that just a Shot in the Dark?
We use the ElevenLabs text to voice tool to generate the spoken intros to our Museum Explorations podcasts. It's quite good, and gives a very clear and engaging voice intro, although it would be nice to get some more representative accents.
November 20, 2025 at 10:59 AM
We use the ElevenLabs text to voice tool to generate the spoken intros to our Museum Explorations podcasts. It's quite good, and gives a very clear and engaging voice intro, although it would be nice to get some more representative accents.
We had a great visit to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery yesterday to record a podcast with Warwick's Dr Maialen Maugers and BMAG's Andrea Bonnell. The museum has been extensively redesigned to tell the Birmingham story and to inspire thinking about the future. It is amazing. Podcast out soon.
November 19, 2025 at 2:36 PM
We had a great visit to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery yesterday to record a podcast with Warwick's Dr Maialen Maugers and BMAG's Andrea Bonnell. The museum has been extensively redesigned to tell the Birmingham story and to inspire thinking about the future. It is amazing. Podcast out soon.
Reposted by Museum Explorations
In practice: case study | Collaborative approaches to repatriation 🤝
Laura Van Broekhoven, director of the Pitt Rivers Museum, shares learning from the museum's projects.
Laura Van Broekhoven, director of the Pitt Rivers Museum, shares learning from the museum's projects.
Case Study | Collaborative approaches to repatriation - Museums Association
Laura Van Broekhoven shares learning from the Pitt Rivers Museum
www.museumsassociation.org
November 19, 2025 at 2:12 PM
In practice: case study | Collaborative approaches to repatriation 🤝
Laura Van Broekhoven, director of the Pitt Rivers Museum, shares learning from the museum's projects.
Laura Van Broekhoven, director of the Pitt Rivers Museum, shares learning from the museum's projects.
This morning we have an IAS Seminar on
Heritage: authenticity, digitisation and object biographies.
Heritage: authenticity, digitisation and object biographies.
November 17, 2025 at 8:48 AM
This morning we have an IAS Seminar on
Heritage: authenticity, digitisation and object biographies.
Heritage: authenticity, digitisation and object biographies.
Here's a great program by our investigative journalism student society, exploring the impact of AI now and in the future. Features interviews with Robert O'Toole (Digital Arts and Humanities Lab), Lydia Plath (History Dept.) and Will Amos (Languages). www.youtube.com/watch?v=klJE...
Joursoc Investigates | The Intelligence Gap: AI in Higher Education
YouTube video by Warwick Journalism
www.youtube.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Here's a great program by our investigative journalism student society, exploring the impact of AI now and in the future. Features interviews with Robert O'Toole (Digital Arts and Humanities Lab), Lydia Plath (History Dept.) and Will Amos (Languages). www.youtube.com/watch?v=klJE...
I'm working on a proposal for our Research Cultures fund (for DAHL), aiming to develop better support for the use of digital tools throughout the research cycle. It's important to remember the less visible more everyday activities that make for great research, and support them better.
Focusing just on the peer-reviewed publication end of the spectrum leaves out crucial steps that (especially in 'longer-form' disciplines) lead to excellent work.
Reading groups, work-in-progress seminars, conferences, series editors. All are crucial, & all are being devalued/defunded. 2/3
Reading groups, work-in-progress seminars, conferences, series editors. All are crucial, & all are being devalued/defunded. 2/3
November 14, 2025 at 8:47 AM
I'm working on a proposal for our Research Cultures fund (for DAHL), aiming to develop better support for the use of digital tools throughout the research cycle. It's important to remember the less visible more everyday activities that make for great research, and support them better.
This morning it is appropriate to recall the words of esteemed cultural commentator E Blackadder:
"Needs must when the Devil vomits in your kettle."
Normal service and academic standards will resume shortly.
"Needs must when the Devil vomits in your kettle."
Normal service and academic standards will resume shortly.
a man wearing a wig and a white shirt is making a surprised face
ALT: a man wearing a wig and a white shirt is making a surprised face
media.tenor.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:42 AM
This morning it is appropriate to recall the words of esteemed cultural commentator E Blackadder:
"Needs must when the Devil vomits in your kettle."
Normal service and academic standards will resume shortly.
"Needs must when the Devil vomits in your kettle."
Normal service and academic standards will resume shortly.
New Valve Steam Frame VR headset. Seems to be very well designed, using more advanced optical science. And it is modular. It has fast foveated streaming. It can play Steam and PC games. Easier for us to develop Arts and Humanities experiences for it.
youtu.be/b7q2CS8HDHU?...
youtu.be/b7q2CS8HDHU?...
Hands-On: Valve Steam Frame Virtual Reality Headset!
YouTube video by Adam Savage’s Tested
youtu.be
November 13, 2025 at 1:10 PM
New Valve Steam Frame VR headset. Seems to be very well designed, using more advanced optical science. And it is modular. It has fast foveated streaming. It can play Steam and PC games. Easier for us to develop Arts and Humanities experiences for it.
youtu.be/b7q2CS8HDHU?...
youtu.be/b7q2CS8HDHU?...
Reposted by Museum Explorations
Focusing just on the peer-reviewed publication end of the spectrum leaves out crucial steps that (especially in 'longer-form' disciplines) lead to excellent work.
Reading groups, work-in-progress seminars, conferences, series editors. All are crucial, & all are being devalued/defunded. 2/3
Reading groups, work-in-progress seminars, conferences, series editors. All are crucial, & all are being devalued/defunded. 2/3
November 12, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Focusing just on the peer-reviewed publication end of the spectrum leaves out crucial steps that (especially in 'longer-form' disciplines) lead to excellent work.
Reading groups, work-in-progress seminars, conferences, series editors. All are crucial, & all are being devalued/defunded. 2/3
Reading groups, work-in-progress seminars, conferences, series editors. All are crucial, & all are being devalued/defunded. 2/3
Reposted by Museum Explorations
Publish & perish?
'Publishing less--but better--will be essential to the future health of research.'
Yes, up to a point. Not grappled with here is that reducing volume alone fails to address intellectual PROCESS. Esp. for big projects, we need intellectual waystations to hone our research. 1/3
'Publishing less--but better--will be essential to the future health of research.'
Yes, up to a point. Not grappled with here is that reducing volume alone fails to address intellectual PROCESS. Esp. for big projects, we need intellectual waystations to hone our research. 1/3
Letter: A call to arms to protect peer review from the threat of AI
From Mandy Hill, Managing Director, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
www.ft.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Publish & perish?
'Publishing less--but better--will be essential to the future health of research.'
Yes, up to a point. Not grappled with here is that reducing volume alone fails to address intellectual PROCESS. Esp. for big projects, we need intellectual waystations to hone our research. 1/3
'Publishing less--but better--will be essential to the future health of research.'
Yes, up to a point. Not grappled with here is that reducing volume alone fails to address intellectual PROCESS. Esp. for big projects, we need intellectual waystations to hone our research. 1/3
Reposted by Museum Explorations
There's an assumption that if we just published less, we'd publish better. That's ridiculous. 'Better' entails a whole host of factors, of which time--essential through it is--is only 1. If we don't think of the whole system of intellectual formation--and how it varies across fields, we're sunk. 3/3
November 12, 2025 at 5:52 PM
There's an assumption that if we just published less, we'd publish better. That's ridiculous. 'Better' entails a whole host of factors, of which time--essential through it is--is only 1. If we don't think of the whole system of intellectual formation--and how it varies across fields, we're sunk. 3/3
These guys are meeting in the same building as the museums conference. We are seriously considering breaking in, holding them hostage, and demanding a million pounds. I think we outnumber them. We have curators. You don't mess with curators.
November 12, 2025 at 12:04 PM
These guys are meeting in the same building as the museums conference. We are seriously considering breaking in, holding them hostage, and demanding a million pounds. I think we outnumber them. We have curators. You don't mess with curators.
Really interesting project. We will find out more about it, along with our partners in the Digital Arts and Humanities Lab at Warwick.
Project StoryMachine aims to preserve, explore and provide greater access to folklore traditions in Germany and the UK, through the development of a digital infrastructure called StoryMachine storymachine.iisys.de
November 12, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Really interesting project. We will find out more about it, along with our partners in the Digital Arts and Humanities Lab at Warwick.