Trigger Warnings: Exhibiting sensitive materials – Keynote
This is a recording of an event which took place during the Dublin Festival of History 2023. Manon Parry (University of Amsterdam, Netherlands) gave the keynote assisted by Evie Numen (Trinity College Dublin).
Museums and exhibitions are usually experienced as places of truth, places we visit to gain knowledge about the past or to come to terms with difficult heritage. But how are sensitive materials, such as hospital archives, patients’ belongings, or medical instruments, selected and displayed tactfully? What decisions lie behind the choice of objects that make an exhibition, the language used to present them or the space in which they are displayed? How can we show sensitive materials in a way that is constructive rather than upsetting? Join us on 10 October for an informative and engaging discussion with professionals and researchers in the field of museum ethics and design, as part of the Dublin Festival of History.
The seminar took place on Tuesday, 10 October 2023 to coincide with World Mental Health Day.
Article image credit: Alé Mercado