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.
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.
Next, from Leamington Spa...
November 12, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Next, from Leamington Spa...
Carys Tyson-Taylor, open air ethnographic museum.
November 12, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Carys Tyson-Taylor, open air ethnographic museum.
Indian Museum and the Museum of Economic Geography.
That Victorian geology museum design.
Henry de la Beche instrumental in this. Also famous for his palaeo-art Duria Antiquior.
That Victorian geology museum design.
Henry de la Beche instrumental in this. Also famous for his palaeo-art Duria Antiquior.
November 12, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Indian Museum and the Museum of Economic Geography.
That Victorian geology museum design.
Henry de la Beche instrumental in this. Also famous for his palaeo-art Duria Antiquior.
That Victorian geology museum design.
Henry de la Beche instrumental in this. Also famous for his palaeo-art Duria Antiquior.
The Museum of Practical Geology, or Museum of Economic Geology. Included mining records office, workshops.
November 12, 2025 at 12:11 PM
The Museum of Practical Geology, or Museum of Economic Geology. Included mining records office, workshops.
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.
BMAG worked with Birmingham Municipal School of Art, with times reserved for students.
November 12, 2025 at 11:09 AM
BMAG worked with Birmingham Municipal School of Art, with times reserved for students.
Birmingham, outside the Library, theatre, and exhibition centre. Makers of the modern world. It all started here!
November 12, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Birmingham, outside the Library, theatre, and exhibition centre. Makers of the modern world. It all started here!
The vaults, from the old bank, under underneath the Exchange, Birmingham. Let's break in ans see what we can steal!
November 12, 2025 at 9:36 AM
The vaults, from the old bank, under underneath the Exchange, Birmingham. Let's break in ans see what we can steal!
This is The Exchange, opposite Birmingham Library. An event location belonging to Birmingham Uni, open to the public. It has exhibitions dotted around.
November 12, 2025 at 9:26 AM
This is The Exchange, opposite Birmingham Library. An event location belonging to Birmingham Uni, open to the public. It has exhibitions dotted around.
Coffee first, over the road from the Birmingham Library, at a Birmingham Uni building converterd from a bank.
November 12, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Coffee first, over the road from the Birmingham Library, at a Birmingham Uni building converterd from a bank.
Today we are a conference.
November 12, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Today we are a conference.
Last week CCMPS at Warwick hosted a great talk by Andrea Wallace from the Law School, director of GLAM-Elab. We learned about the need to go beyond physical rights to cultural artefacts in museums, and consider the intellectual property rights of the communities from which they were appropriated.
November 11, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Last week CCMPS at Warwick hosted a great talk by Andrea Wallace from the Law School, director of GLAM-Elab. We learned about the need to go beyond physical rights to cultural artefacts in museums, and consider the intellectual property rights of the communities from which they were appropriated.
Reframing is the act of re-describing an existing situation or challenge from a different perspective, a different starting or ending point. In Balraj Khanna's map we see London from a personal, emotional, perspective. It's still a map, still for navigation, but reframed.
See:
See:
November 11, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Reframing is the act of re-describing an existing situation or challenge from a different perspective, a different starting or ending point. In Balraj Khanna's map we see London from a personal, emotional, perspective. It's still a map, still for navigation, but reframed.
See:
See:
There's a good chapter on the psychogeographic reframing of cartography, and its origins in Guy Debord's Situationist International, in the new book by The Map Men.
November 11, 2025 at 9:44 AM
There's a good chapter on the psychogeographic reframing of cartography, and its origins in Guy Debord's Situationist International, in the new book by The Map Men.
White Koan, Liliane Lijn. For many Warwick students and staff over the years this is essentially our totem pole. In the early 90s there was even a Koan Worshiping Society who performed rituals around the Koan late at night. All hail the mighty Koan!
www.lilianelijn.com/portfolio-it...
www.lilianelijn.com/portfolio-it...
November 11, 2025 at 9:41 AM
White Koan, Liliane Lijn. For many Warwick students and staff over the years this is essentially our totem pole. In the early 90s there was even a Koan Worshiping Society who performed rituals around the Koan late at night. All hail the mighty Koan!
www.lilianelijn.com/portfolio-it...
www.lilianelijn.com/portfolio-it...
BALRAJ KHANNA (1939-2024)
The Real Centre of the Universe
1986-7
Acrylic on canvas
London as it really is, for many people.
I talked about this in a lecture on design this week, as it is a great example of a psychogeographic reframing of cartography. And such a great work.
The Real Centre of the Universe
1986-7
Acrylic on canvas
London as it really is, for many people.
I talked about this in a lecture on design this week, as it is a great example of a psychogeographic reframing of cartography. And such a great work.
November 11, 2025 at 9:19 AM
BALRAJ KHANNA (1939-2024)
The Real Centre of the Universe
1986-7
Acrylic on canvas
London as it really is, for many people.
I talked about this in a lecture on design this week, as it is a great example of a psychogeographic reframing of cartography. And such a great work.
The Real Centre of the Universe
1986-7
Acrylic on canvas
London as it really is, for many people.
I talked about this in a lecture on design this week, as it is a great example of a psychogeographic reframing of cartography. And such a great work.
Visit to Compton Verney near Stratford in Warwickshire to discuss student projects. Inspiring and challenging exhibits. They have colourful koans by Liliane Lijn, which are very special to Warwick Uni people, as we have a full size koan by Lijn at the heart of the uni.
November 11, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Visit to Compton Verney near Stratford in Warwickshire to discuss student projects. Inspiring and challenging exhibits. They have colourful koans by Liliane Lijn, which are very special to Warwick Uni people, as we have a full size koan by Lijn at the heart of the uni.
Design Museum, London, last week. Presenting our Future Observatory funded VR project on retrofitting homes for sustainability. The museum tells the story of design brilliantly, but is also designed as a learning and research studio. Desks under exhibits with activities and materials. Brilliant!
November 11, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Design Museum, London, last week. Presenting our Future Observatory funded VR project on retrofitting homes for sustainability. The museum tells the story of design brilliantly, but is also designed as a learning and research studio. Desks under exhibits with activities and materials. Brilliant!