資生堂企業資料館

Questionnaire for

A Study on Design Museums’ Cultural Values

Interviewed on Nov. 14, 2013 at Shiseido Corporate Museum 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.

Some information about the museum:

1. There are more than 200 people visiting Shiseido monthly. Among them 60% is group; 40% is individual visitor. Regarding the international visitor there are about 20-30 people monthly.

2. The current exhibition rooms have been changed one to two times in the past 20 years.

1. Regarding the Museum’s Position and Collection Research

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

Ans: As you know we are a corporate museum and we care more about the corporate culture. We think there are 4 parts of our culture expression. 1. Human; 2. material (such as building and products); 3. Monetary; 4. corporate culture (including visible and tangible parts).

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.

□ ■ □

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

Ans: In Shiseido we publish our own PR magazine for our customers.

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

Ans: We category our collection into 2 parts, one is about business document (which is not about design), the other one aesthetics resources which is joined of design. Our corporate DNA is also one of design concern and it is through the

whole corporate history.

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

Ans: We have about 17,000 advertisement materials; 3,000 commercial films; and 2,500 documents.

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.

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Ans:

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

2. Regarding Design-Based Exhibitions

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

strategy and exhibition focus.

Ans: Normally we have 2 sections. One is for Shiseido’s history and culture. The other is for special exhibition.

Special exhibitions runs 2-3 times a years and they are all about Shiseido, such as Shiseido’s logo, products, different themes.

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

Ans: same as 2.1.

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: Yes, we have permanent exhibition and theme exhibition. same as 2.1

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 exhibitions are not merely on design theme.

Culture and history are also our concerns. Shiseido concerns a lot about the issue of our social responsibility. We regard the exhibition as one of the forms to communicate to the society. We sometimes will collaborate with other museums to do our exhibitions.

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: For example, in 2010 we had an exhibition in Shanghai museum when there was World Expo at the same time. At the same year, we had a small exhibition in Moscow as well for only 2 weeks. These exhibition were organized by our

182 museum and mainly for brand marketing concerns.

3. Regarding Design Education and Service

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

strategy and actual executions.

Ans: We organize our educational programs (such as special lectures, workshops) by exhibitions. These programs are mainly for local community. We have an in-house design team about 100 people so we sometime ask them to help in our programs. We wish to

communicate the spirits of Shiseido to our programs’

participants then they can understand our corporate culture.

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?

Same as the question 3.1.

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

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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?

Ans: The building of corporate museum isn’t designed by a well known architect but the art house in the same campus is designed by the Yoshio Taniguchi. He is also the designer designed MoMA New York.

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

Ans: Yes, we have audio guide for both Japanese and English. We sometimes use smart phone system to deliver limited contents of special exhibitions. This service is designed by an outsourcing company.

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: Our budget comes only from our won company.

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

Ans: We have a small shop area near the entrance. We provide poster cards and some perfume which are limited editions. We have 3 perfume products sold in the museum.

Two of them are copy version of the original perfume in

the 1950s to 1960s. We chose to re-produce the products that we think very important in our history. The third one is used the local green tea extract as materials. It’s a way of connect to the local industry.

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

Ans: same as 4.2.

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 □

□ ■ □

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 □

Ans: We do post cards and perfume. Perfume is limited production. Except these museum products, we have some limited items in our history. These limited items are not for museum. They are produced for our loyal customers and some of them are inspired from our past designs. Such as a button for Kimono. (refer to the photos)

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 ■

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: N/A

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?

The green tea I mentioned is Shiseido’s one of

collaboration with local industry. The perfume is sold only in Kakegawa-shi(掛川市) and Shizuoka-ken (靜岡 縣) area, the local shop and local airport. It came out in 2011 and we produce 500 pieces a year.

Thank you for your time and kind assistance.

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