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‘ILDS’ Innocuous Label Syndrome (what is that you ask? ). Excerpts from article by P Z McClusky “Why is this here?” Art museum texts as ethical guides. If you were a museum display what would the label say?. The first brief label would be like a tombstone for you... Mine might read...
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‘ILDS’Innocuous Label Syndrome(what is that you ask?) Excerpts from article by P Z McClusky “Why is this here?” Art museum texts as ethical guides
The first brief label would be like a tombstone for you... • Mine might read... Female, 21st century Bones, flesh, blood, clothing: cotton, wool, leather, silk, iphone Australian, born Sydney 19xx On loan from the Hunter TAFE...
But what does this say? • Is it an adequate description? • Equally this may be followed by three lines of chat...something more informal.... • What would your text panel read? What would the additional 3or 4 lines say?
There are no hard and fast rules to guide the writer of museum text panels • each museum tends to develop their own editorial guidelines , word counts, and styles for layout and punctuation
ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums (2006) • Clause 4.2 Interpretation of exhibitions “Museums should ensure that the information they present in displays and exhibitions is well founded accurate and gives appropriate consideration to represented groups or beliefs.”
Sometimes a museum label is dry and distant • and it is often a severly abbreviated version of events and by its nature limited ..(not too mention the challenges of audience retention when visiting museums) • The hope is that it inspires more enquiry