The digitization of museums is something which is increasingly integrated into the conduct of The Rijksmuseum, with the institution also adapting to the use of social media to encourage their...Show moreThe digitization of museums is something which is increasingly integrated into the conduct of The Rijksmuseum, with the institution also adapting to the use of social media to encourage their remote audience. The COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered the user experience of cultural heritage and, in order to communicate a selective narrative of its artworks to its users, The Rijksmuseum created a Tiktok account. Due to the adaptation, several questions have been raised with regards to the aura and experience of artwork, and how this is altered in an online setting, an environment where images circulate at a fast pace. This thesis aims to cover Haidy Geismar’s methodology surrounding object materiality as well as her discussion of the break away from the ‘white cube’ museum setting. In addition to discussing David Joselit’s ideas regarding the circulation of digitized objects and the ‘buzz’ of the image. These key concepts will be discussed in relation to Jan Asselijn’s ‘De Bedreigde Zwaan’, and its online presence; this is the key case study of this thesis. Overall, this thesis aims to discuss how the use of Tiktok as a platform mediates this key Golden Age artwork and how this effects its meaning and interpretation.Show less
In this thesis I have argued that the tombs of Blanche en Jean, children of Louis IX, were personal dedications instead of monuments with public intentions. Through the use of tomb type, metal and...Show moreIn this thesis I have argued that the tombs of Blanche en Jean, children of Louis IX, were personal dedications instead of monuments with public intentions. Through the use of tomb type, metal and heraldry, the monuments show the felt need to provide answers for the tehologically difficult situation that an early death brought. These tombs were there to give the two children a solid base from which their identity and therefore their eternal remembrance could be ensured. The tombs were not necessarily reliant upon the viewer to construct its message, it was a self-sufficient visual manifestation of the said message, in which the viewer had no active role.Show less
Understanding the provenance of the ceramics is crucial for outlining how people interacted with the landscape and ascertaining the extent of trade connection or distance from the raw clay sources....Show moreUnderstanding the provenance of the ceramics is crucial for outlining how people interacted with the landscape and ascertaining the extent of trade connection or distance from the raw clay sources. The main question pursued in this research was to reconstruct the human-landscape interaction through the appreciation and integration of technological and provenance data on ancient ceramics and clay materials recovered at the Mayales Subbasin (Chontales, Nicaragua) with a particular focus on the largest site in the area, Aguas Buenas. Aguas Buenas (AD 500-1522) is agglomeration with 379 human-made mounds of circular shape and arranged in circular patterns. This study provides the results of the first clay survey and ethnographic investigation of the area, developed together with archaeometrical analyses of clay and ceramic materials. The elaboration of the compositional analysis produced substantial geological information and divided the valley into distinct geological compositional groups, improving the limited geological knowledge that was available. Furthermore, the soil samples retrieved in this research are stored and preserved at the Faculty of Archaeology (Leiden University), constituting the first comprehensive clay reference collection throughout Nicaragua. The methodological framework employed and the combination of the petrographic and compositional (p-XRF) analysis of ceramic materials with the clay samples generate information to support a number of hypotheses about the nature of Aguas Buenas and its role among the other communities of Mayales Subbasin. Therefore, several ideas for clay procurement drawing on the cultural ecology perspective, functionalist approach, and sociocultural interpretations are discussed and applied in the research, which provides a solid framework of investigation that can be employed in the future to carry out a more detailed and extensive study on the Mayales Subbasin, or elsewhere.Show less
Museum architecture has been a complex but fruitful area in the museum studies. The contribution of the architectural qualities in the museological experience has been less researched even though...Show moreMuseum architecture has been a complex but fruitful area in the museum studies. The contribution of the architectural qualities in the museological experience has been less researched even though museums of extraordinary design have been an emblem in the cities, responsible of the social and economic change. This thesis aims to explore the physical aspects of the museum building and its qualities not as a static form but as an actor in visitor experience that is implicated in various relationships. In addition to this, the next step of the research will be the multisensory experience that architecture provides in a museum visit. The Museum of European and Mediterranean civilization in Marseilles will be used as the case study in order to acquire an in depth understanding of the design thinking, as a forceful piece of architecture which generates emotional, sensory and critical impact.Show less
