As a member nation at the Asean summit, Thailand has a responsibility to nurture collaboration with fellow bloc members in matters of cultural exchange, as is one of the three tenets of the summit. To that end, the National Discovery Museum Institute (NDMI), the organisation responsible for development and promotion of museums in Thailand, as well as the curators of the beautiful Museum Siam, recently hosted the Museum Forum 2016, a conference aimed at the exchange of experience between various museum curators from all over Asia for the sake of development in museum works in Thailand as well as Asean as a whole.
Rames Promyen, director-general of the NDMI, gave the opening remarks for the two-day event, explaining the forum's concept of "Museum Without Walls", saying the name refers not only to the open exchange between museums in various countries, but also to the expansion of the accessibility and relevance of museums through innovative, technological means.
"This forum is also a discussion about what a museum really means in the 21st century, and how both venerable and contemporary pieces of art and history can exist together."
The director also spoke of the future of Museum Siam, which will consider utilising new technology such as virtual reality to make museums more relevant and interesting to younger generations.
"Technology has allowed us to visit places far and wide without ever having to really go anywhere. It can be a very effective tool in helping foster interest and accessibility for young people. In this day and age, science and art must go hand in hand."
Museum of the Present
While museums generally tend to use the past to contextualise the present, they can also use the present to create interest in the past, according to Tara Gujadhur, co-director of the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center in Luang Prabang, Laos, who gave a talk on "Using Intangible Cultural Heritage To Move Beyond The Museum".
"Instead of showing people ancient artefacts or costumes that they can't understand in the context of modern culture, we can show them items that are used today and explain where they come from, and how they're used by people today," said the director, who says that giving context to contemporary culture can also work to make people of different ethnic groups better understand each other.
"For example, we can show clothing that's made from polyester and sequins from modern markets that is still being woven in the traditional way. People can now understand how the clothing they wear is made, and how the method has developed over the years."
Gujadhur also stressed the importance of everyone understanding that culture isn't something set in stone but is constantly evolving along with the people. By showing how modern culture can be traced to the past, Gujadhur believes a contemporary museum can work to bridge the generation gap between the young and the old, which more often than not is the result of a lack of understanding.
"By showing people objects they recognise from daily life and telling them what they signify, as well as how their roles are changing through time, we can nurture the understanding that culture is a fluid continuum, but also make young people understand the importance of learning about their own cultural backgrounds."
Meanwhile, Ksenia Duxfield-Karyakina spoke at the event in her capacity as manager of the Public Policy Strategy and Operations branch of the Google Cultural Institute, an initiative that aims to employ technological solutions in helping museums become more accessible. Her lecture, "Cultural Heritage At Your Fingerprints In The Mobile-First World", talks about utilising technology tools like online streaming and even virtual reality in promoting the wonders of museums in the context of the 21st century.
"The internet is an area of equal opportunity for access to culture and art from all over the world," said Ksenia, who cited several surveys conducted by Google in regard to cultural access through technology.
"Up to 72% of the people surveyed in Thailand agreed that digital access in their country has allowed them to educate themselves about culture."
Remembering the Past
While museums don't generally rank very high when it comes to social destinations, Andriyati Rahayu, a lecturer from the Faculty of Humanity, Universitas Indonesia, describes an initiative in her country to use museums as a socialisation destination for Alzheimer's patients.
"It's a symbolic choice, as museums are meant to be about remembering the past, which is something Alzheimer's patients tend to struggle with," says Andriyati.
Though not necessarily a medical or cultural practice, Andriyati says the program's mind-games and riddles -- based on the many museum exhibits -- can at least help the patients' minds avoid deterioration, even if they don't necessarily heal them. That said, throughout the four times the activity has been held, Andriyati says the participating patients' HFLT test results -- meant to determine the level of memory retention -- have shown positive improvement.
"We're still unsure whether this is due to the many brain exercise we give the participants or the increased social interaction they get from joining our program, though the results are definitely promising."
