Cod,curtains,planes and experts: Relational materialities in the museum

Abstract

Museums are sites where people encounter material objects. This article examines object and subject entanglements that take place at a university museum in northern Norway, and illustrates how objects shift identities as they interact with subjects and how subjects are also affected by the encounter. A relational materialities perspective, which demonstrates how object identity is related to the subject it engages with, allows multiple versions of objects to appear. Working as a certified expert in the university museum, the author aims to address the quandary over future museum collection policies. She argues that collection policies are not only about what to select but also who makes the selection decisions, and the perspectives associated with such choices. If museum collections are based on expert relationships to objects, the quality of the expert needs further investigation.