漢堡應用藝術博物館

Questionnaire for

A Study on Design Museums’ Cultural Values

Interviewed on Dec. 2, 2013 at thr Museum fuer Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg Description of the questionnaire:

Design involves activities of both aesthetical and commercial values, and the key focus of this study is how to position and develop the cultural discourse for design museums in the contemporary society and also throughout its cultural developmental process. This study’s investigation on design museums makes reference to J. Holden’s concept for cultural values, with the following three cultural value components proposed by Holden: 1. culture experience, 2. culture practice, and 3. culture identity. This questionnaire will look at design museums’ core business (collection research), and also by looking into possible innovative added values, the questions included in this questionnaire are intended to investigate from the center extending out in accordance with the following aspects and are intended to help with observing design museums’ cultural values: 1.

museum’s position and collection research; 2. design-based exhibitions; 3. design education and service; 4. business strategies and policies; 5. local design culture development. Subsequently, the collected data will be analyzed and used to develop frameworks or theories for the construction of design museums’ cultural values.

We have about 65 staff and 10-20 interns. There is only one full time curator (who is me) in the design department; one staff in the collection department dealing with 19-20 century objects (3D objects).

The museum is founded by the city government. The current museum building doesn’t belong to the museum. We lend it from the owner (city hall is not the owner either). The restaurant and the museum bookstore also rent their space from the owner, not from the museum.

1. Regarding the Museum’s Position and Collection Research

No. Question Culture 1.1 Please describe the museum’s position and mission statement

Ans: Art and Craft (1900 around in Europe) are our main focuses. 1900 is the time and the start period of mass

production and it’s a good example of quality and forms. The museum is established by the city to define the museum statement.

1.2 Following the previous question, under this mission statement, amongst the three components of culture

experience, culture identity, and culture practice, which one does the museum place most emphasis on? Please check the appropriate box to the right.

□ □ ■

Ans: We like to create more dialogues to the public and explain more what we think to the society. Museum used to be a place for middle class but not nowadays, we need to explore more to audiences, such as children and teenagers.

Moreover, we have to tell people what museum want, more why and what, regarding the topics or issues to the

audiences.

1.3 Please further explain in the last 3-5 years, what strategies have the museum employ to achieve the aforementioned

166 mission?

Ans: We like to create dialogues and contexts of objects. In my department I usually think about a question: how to tell design and how to present design? We have to think a new way to exhibit design objects.

1.4 Please explain the allotment for the museum’s current collections based on quantities and genres.

Ans: The museum has about half million object in the collection; Design collection (3d objects) is about

15,000-20,000 pieces; Art Nouvel period objects about 25%

from our modern collections.

1.5 Following the previous question, what type of design works is the key focus for the museum’s design collection?

Ans: Art, deisgn, and craft are 3 main categories. Objects got into museum depend on Curators’ interest in someway. If the curator is interested in the style of 1920-1940 the collection items would be brought into museum, so it varies by personal interest.

1.6 Which component to the right does the museum place most emphasis on for your collected design works? Please check the appropriate box to the right.

■ □ ■

1.7 Following the previous question, please explain the correlation between the museum’s design collection works and its design exhibition strategy.

Ans: Yes, there is a relationship. Exhibition items could be entered into our collection, such as contemporary design in sustainable design area.

2. Regarding Design-Based Exhibitions

No. Question Culture 2.1 Please explain the museum’s overall exhibition planning

strategy and exhibition focus.

Ans: we re-open our permanent design collection in 2012 after a reconstruction.

2.2 Please explain the museum’s curatorial and operational strategies for design theme exhibitions.

Ans: As I mentioned in last part I always think about the way of presentation. It becomes a guideline for me to take a different approach to the exhibition forms.

2.3 Following the previous question, is there a permanent exhibition for design collection in the museum? Are there any special considerations for the connection between the permanent exhibition and other special design theme exhibitions?

Ans: We have permanent exhibition. We also curate special exhibition of course. In fact, due to the time strain and labor power, I haven’t really executed special exhibition yet so far.

However, I have done a program on the topic of “plastic garbage”. It contained an exhibition, competition and a debate. The debates were held in every week within 2 months. Companying with the program, an eco-design prize (German Ecodesign Award) was brought to Hamburg and we create some other prizes for young students locally. We think

it’s a good opportunity to encourage youngster to design under this topic.

2.4 Following the previous question, how do you organize a design theme exhibition and how are the schedules for different design exhibitions in a year? Is there a set ratio implemented among various design works or categories?

Ans: Our theme design exhibition is not on a regular basis.

We will have 2 in 2013 and nothing in 2014. This situation is because the museum has many different collections and departments but the space for exhibition is limited.

2.5 Amongst the three components of culture experience, culture identity, and culture practice, which one does the museum place most emphasis on for curating design theme

exhibitions? Please check the appropriate box to the right.

□ □ ■

2.6 Following the previous question, please describe in further details any successful cases.

Ans: 1. Prizes for the young awards(the eco design prize).

2. The plastic garbage debate.

3. Regarding Design Education and Service

No. Question Culture 3.1 Please explain the museum’s educational promotion

strategy and actual executions.

Ans: The design educational programs in MKG are organized by 2 teams. One is from design curatorial department and the other is from educational department.

Curator explains the curatorial ideas and discusses them with educational staff to develop proper programs for target audiences.

3.2 Please give some examples of the museum’s most innovative educational promotional activities from the previous 5 years (1-2 examples for activities such as exhibition educational, community-based, or public relation educational events). How are these differentiated from other museums’ events?

Ans: The museum works closely with school system, especially for school curriculum. We develop activities, lectures, artist talks, tour guides for students. We have built an educational interactive room in the basement (it’s the one I showed you last time.) The room is for rent as well. We are developing a new media guide (not available at this moment) which includes App too.

3.3 Following the previous question, which component to the right is most emphasized on for the aforementioned examples of activities?

□ □ ■

3.4 Please explain the museum’s concept behind its overall operation based on the museum’s architecture and spatial design? Are they included in your innovative

operational strategy?

N/A

3.5 Please explain with examples how the museum applies contemporary technologies to its service system.

Ans: We know the importance of the role of the new

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media and do our best to apply them onto the exhibition.

4. Regarding Business Strategies and Measures

No. Question Culture 4.1 Please explain the museum’s main source of funding; is it

acquired from the government, or from private funding through self-fundraising? What are the key sources for self-raised funding?

Ans: The main income of the museum is from ticketing (MKG is a vey popular museum in Hamburg). There are many private collectors in Hamburg and they like to donate their collection to museums. Most of our rooms are named by the donators’ name. So in our museum, we have a team responsible for the fund raising matters. In Hamburg there are some private funds and they are willing to support exhibition projects. MKG applies for SHK as well. (SHK is a private fund for only MKG and

Kunsthalle.) MKG pay more attention to apply to the regional funds.

4.2 Please explain the position and the operational strategy for the museum’s gift shop.

Ans: As I said previously, the museum doesn’t own the shop. The shop is run by a well known bookstore. We are more or less like a partner to offer a proper museum service. As you can see it’s basically a bookstore type.

Mostly we co-work with the shop to sell our publications (such as books, catelogues). We once convince the shop to show 2 awarded products which can be sold exclusively in the museum and it’s quite successful.

4.3 Following the previous question, what differentiates this shop’s operational strategy from the shops of other potential competitor museums?

Ans: N/A

4.4 Following the previous question, are any of the components to the right taken into consideration for the operational strategy of the museum’s gift shop?

Yes □(If yes, please check the appropriate box to the right) No □

Ans: N/A

□ □ □

4.5 Is the museum involved in the commercial development for products of added values inspired by its own collected works?

Yes □ (Please give examples) No ■

5. Regarding the Development of Local Design Cultures

No. Question Culture 5.1 Is the museum involved in the research of local design

cultures or design resources?

Yes □ (Please give examples) No ￭

Not that much so far. We haven’t commission design

project to designers to design things yet.

5.2 Following the previous question, has the museum ever been engaged in discourses for local design cultures?

How are these discourses presented to the audience?

(i.e.: exhibition, publication, or educational events?) Ans: N/A

5.3 Following the previous question, which component to the right is the key consideration for conducting discourses related to the local design cultures?

□ ■ □

Ans: It could be the local identity though we haven’t really involved with it.

5.4 In regards to the utilization or collaboration with external resources, how are the design resources used for

promotion? Could you give some actual cases or measures that were undertaken?

Ans: regarding the design exhibition’s design, we seek for designers locally and nationally. We don’t have a sole design partner on it. We always look for new designers to do it.

Thank you for your time and kind assistance.

170 行設計博物館的探討。Holden 提出 1.文化傳承(culture experience)、2.文化實踐(culture practice)、

3.文化認同(culture identity)為文化價值的三大面向。因此本問卷的設計從博物館的核心業務(收 藏研究)，以原創加值的同心圓方式逐步向外擴張，分別從以下幾個面項，1.館務定位與收藏研 1 請說明貴館的定位與任務(mission statement)。

Ans：此館於 2011 年 9 月開幕，由來是因為台灣從世界設 計聯盟(World design alliance)舉辦的世界設計論壇的評選 中脫穎而出，成為全球第一個主辦國，配合當年這個大型 的國際會議活動-世界設計大會(World design congress)，亦 辦理台北世界設計大展於松山文創園區。以政府部門的觀 來說，雖然名為 taiwan design museum，但是在典藏研究與 典藏設施或技術上是無法達到與專業博物館相等的質量。

目前收於倉庫中的作品就是很一般的放在倉庫中，也沒有