From hats, to shirt collars, to braces – locals in the Emmental Valley have been given the opportunity to decide which artefacts their regional museum should discard and what should happen to these items thereafter. This pioneering project has democratised a process common to every museum: deaccessioning, or the permanent removal of artefacts.
“People don’t like to talk about it,” says Carmen Simon, manager of the Chüechlihus Regional Museum in Langnau im Emmental (canton of Berne), “but there is nothing new about museums having to dispose of objects”. This should not really be a surprise, because no museum can continue collecting ad infinitum. Particularly at a regional museum like the Chüechlihus, where the vast majority of items have been donated, there may be more than one version of the same object. Or some artefacts may be damaged. And one day there will be no more space.
Simon, 37, took over management of the museum in 2021. “Careful curating not only involves building your collections, but reducing them too,” she says. Museums must review their inventories on a regular basis and dispense with individual items where necessary. This is called deaccessioning.
The Chüechlihus in Langnau, one of Switzerland’s biggest regional museums, has a novel take on this process. In a project unique in Europe, if not the world, the local population can decide which items the museum should give away and what should happen to them. “We believe the people of the Emmental Valley should have a say in what happens to their cultural heritage,” says Simon. The municipal council agrees. “No museum needs 20 walking sticks and 12 spinning wheels in its collection,” says Martin Lehmann, the culture officer in Langnau. “The more we talked about it, the more obvious that became.”
In consultation with a dedicated committee, the museum initially got rid of over 2,000 textiles – from top hats, nightshirts and aprons, to shirt collars, folk costumes and scarves. In addition to museum, local authority and political representatives, five randomly chosen members of the public from Langnau sit on the committee. They include 36-year-old Jacqueline Maurer. “I immediately agreed to join,” she says. “It’s exciting to be part of this process.”
The committee met to discuss which items were to be discarded. All citizens of Langnau – living inside or outside the municipality – were able to add their voices by voting online at www.entsammeln.ch. All the objects in question were photographed and displayed on the museum website. They are also displayed in the top floor of the museum and can be viewed by anyone – QR codes contain descriptions of each individual item. “The idea is that the local people become actively involved,” says Simon. “Unlike in other museums, they can even handle the objects if they wish. This further increases their sense of engagement.”
This democratic process has also attracted dissent. “Many in the museum community were initially sceptical,” says Simon, whose tactic to counteract any misgivings was full disclosure, with the entire process clearly documented on the museum website. According to the International Council of Museums guidelines, any object being disposed of must first be offered to another museum. But Simon believes that public museums are not the only place to keep artefacts. “We apply a broad interpretation of the guidelines,” she says. “However, we give priority to professional applications from other museums,” she quickly adds.
Jacqueline Maurer has no issue with the project either: “The museum staff have only disposed of items that are already covered in the collection. In addition, the project helps to keep the museum in people’s minds.” This approach seems to be working. The public nature of the process has also helped to elicit new information, resulting in the museum changing its mind and keeping certain artefacts after all.
Simon: “We have enough specialist expertise to know what specific items were for, but we don’t always know whom the things belonged to.” Take the work garment that was returned to the collection. “We thought it was just a tatty coat, but we have now discovered that it belonged to a radio mechanic whom everyone knew in the village.” The committee decided to keep the garment.
The bequeathing phase finally took place this summer. This involved working out what exactly will happen to each and every object. Not through an auction or an online shopping platform (no money changed hands), but via a thorough application process. Museums, organisations and individuals – including those outside the Emmental region or even abroad – can apply to obtain a specific item. There are no conditions attached to future use, regardless of the intended purpose – upcycling, art, interior decoration, or whatever. Next come the decisions on who gets what: the committee meets again in mid-August, taking account of the online public votes in each case.
The entire process is time-consuming, taking about a half a year in total. But Simon thinks this is justified: “After all, these objects have been entrusted to us. As museum curator, I have a duty of care.” Initial scepticism among the public seems to have evaporated, while interest across the wider museum community has also grown. They are even getting inquiries from abroad from people who want to know how the project works.
Carmen Simon is delighted. This is already the second round of deaccessioning – the museum conducted its first round last year, albeit for only about a hundred items. Another round is planned for 2024. According to a Chüechlihus survey of those who voted online, many in the local population now feel a greater attachment to the museum. “Bringing the museum to our community is exactly what we want to do,” says Simon. “What matters is that we establish a connection. It is not about objects, but people.”
Langnau native Jacqueline Maurer agrees: “I had forgotten that this region has so many intriguing things to offer. We should be proud to live here.” Because the aim of the project is not simply to free up space – but win hearts and minds.
For more photos of deaccessioned artefacts in Langnau, visit: revue.link/langnau.
Comments
Comments :
ANTWORT AUF KOMMENTAR VON Diane Vasic, Grand Cayman
Vielen Dank für Ihre Nachricht. Es freut uns, dass der Artikel über unser Entsammlungsprojekt für Aufmerksamkeit und Rückmeldungen gesorgt hat. Gerne nehme ich mir kurz Zeit, um auf die Frage Ihrer Leserin einzugehen.
Es gibt viele verschiedene Gründe, weshalb wir die Objekte nicht zum Verkauf anbieten. Grundsätzlich richten wir uns nach den Richtlinien des Internationalen Museumsrates (ICOM). Dieser erlaubt grundsätzlich den Verkauf von Museumsobjekten in Rahmen einer Sammlung, sofern dieser Verkauf nicht der eigentliche Grund für das Entsammeln von Objekten ist und er erzielte Gewinn direkt wieder in die Erhaltung der Sammlung, zum Bsp. in Restaurierungsmassnahmen von Sammlungsobjekten fliesst. Wir vom Regionalmuseum Chüechlihus haben uns aber dafür entschieden, unsere Objekte nicht zu verkaufen, weil sich ähnliche Objekte in Brockenstuben/auf Flohmärkten oder in Second Hand-Läden befinden und dort für wenig Geld angeboten werden. Bei unseren Objekten handelt es sich aber um Museumsobjekte, die dem Regionalmuseum zum Bewahren anvertraut wurden. Wir sind der Meinung, dass wir diesen Objekten gegenüber eine Sorgfaltspflicht haben und sie darum nicht einfach günstig "verscherbeln" dürfen. Wir haben uns deshalb überlegt wie wir den Objekten den Respekt, den sie verdienen, zurückgeben können und haben deshalb diesen Entsammlungsprozess kreiert. Wir haben uns sogar dafür entschieden, das Entsammeln zum Programm zu machen und – wie wir das sonst auch für andere Museumsformate tun – in das Format zu investieren. Ein gewagtes Vorhaben, das sich aber sehr gelohnt hat. Die partizipative Entsammlung bedeutet viel Aufwand, führt aber schliesslich dazu, dass das Museum und seine Sammlung an Relevanz und Legitimation gewinnen. Mit der partizipativen Entsammlung werden wir der neuen Museumsdefinition gerechter, können unsere Sammlungen sorgfältig schärfen, schenken den Museumsobjekten ein drittes Leben, stossen zu Reflexion über das gemeinsame Kulturerbe an und erfahren auch mehr über unsere Museumssammlung – denn durch das Wissen aus der Bevölkerung konnten auch relevante Hinweise zu den Gegenständen generiert werden, was dazu führte dass wir mehr über unsere Sammlung erfahren und teilweise Objekte doch nicht entsammelt haben, die wir ursprünglich für die Entsammlung vorgesehen hatten. Wir als Museum gewinnen mit der partizipativen Entsammlung aber auch an Sichtbarkeit und Wertschätzung, können unterschiedliche Museumsformate wie Ausstellungen oder Veranstaltungen realisieren und schliesslich auch lustvoll mit unserem Kulturerbe arbeiten.
Am 3. April 2024 starten wir mit der – vorerst letzten – Entsammlung im Regionalmuseum Chüechlihus. Die entsprechende Pressmittelung ist ab Mitte März erhältlich.
Very interesting idea but I’m curious to know why the museum wouldn’t offer the declutter items for sale to raise funds for the museum, given that the items were the property of the museum. Also will you be announcing next declutter exercise?
BRAVO !!