Topic

The word, “Anthropocene,” which has recently been the subject of much attention, implies that the extent of human activity on earth has already become an important factor influencing the world’s systems. Humankind is not merely a destroyer of the global environment; he could be a forger and shaper. As a conceptual framework, the anthropocene could help us to consider many scientific, social, cultural, philosophical and ethical problems.

The open and yet vague character of the word, “Anthropocene,” also in many respects challenges museologists, museum professionals, and even museum visitors. The scientific and philosophical aspects of anthropocene all force us to break through binary, oppositional (e.g., nature versus culture) and lineal concepts of development. In the age of the Anthropocene, museums can no longer guarantee the absolute character of knowledge but must deal with many dialectics, reflections, negotiations, and controversies.

Many contemporary problems and issues, despite having a basis in scientific research, are accompanied with emotional or communicational barriers as far as the general public is concerned. In this context, museums, acting as an agent and a catalyst, begin to seek different narrative strategies and techniques to kindle new dialogue with the audience. Within this process, the integration of art by science museums and natural history museums to forge a new space for communications is an exceptionally powerful method.

Through the involvement of artists, on-site manufacturing, and art installations, museums create emotional links with the audience. The perceptual sensation enables visitors to experience more diverse, complex meaning which traditional knowledge-based displays cannot achieve. In addition, aesthetic experience can also be a powerful conversational tool establishing creative links between researchers, museologists, and audience.

Subthemes

1. Through the emphasis on the openness and vagueness of the anthropocene, as well as raising the breadth of scientific, social, cultural and ecological questions arising under the concept of the Anthropocene, to rethink the current character of museums.

2. To test museums' roles in constantly updating, especially the way in which museums create dialogue in different communities, and, through such communicative media as exhibitions, provide diverse perspectives.

3. To explore the imperative for, and challenges involved in, blending art and science in contemporary museum exhibition narratives.

4. To explore how museums enhance visitors' sense of responsibility and their spontaneous responses.