Tangibles

Tangibles is a conceptual approach to the meaning of a museum piece through research of the relationship between the object and its context. This project takes place in a unique setting: the dismantling, removal and/or installation of a museum collection. The working hypothesis that guides the project is simple: the meaning of the object changes when the object is moved out from the exhibition-contemplative framework. New relationships between object and individual are established. When the museum piece goes out of the showroom and it is manipulated by curators, scientists, restorers and staff from the museum, the reality of the object changes because its context changes as well. Tangibles intends to investigate this transient state in which the subject and the object interact with each other without distances or glass, and in which a new sense comes into place: touch. The value associated with all that is “untouchable” is reversed when the museum move forces a change, albeit temporarily, to the rules of the game. Thus, this project also aims to study the role of art conventions and to explore the way we inherently view art. Through photography I look into the relationships between objects, spaces and people during handling. Tangibles is an ongoing project that started in 2013. This series of photographs presented here takes place during the moving of the collections from the Palau Reial de Pedralbes to the Museu del Disseny of Barcelona (2013-2014).