Tag plats! Om tågs funktion som utställningsobjekt och deras påverkan på museers utställningsproduktion
(2025) ABMM74 20251Division of ALM, Digital Cultures and Publishing Studies
- Abstract
- The introduction and subsequent development of the railroad during the 19th century is a fundamental part of world history, due to it being a key player in the shaping of modern society. Therefore, the history of the railroad and its importance is a subject well suited for museums with several museums dedicated to railroad history appearing around the world. Within these museums, trains become integral objects on display due to their close connection to the railroads, as well as them being highly recognizable objects among museum visitors. However, the usage of trains as exhibition objects create several concerns for the museum personnel, as their physical and spatial properties can pose a challenge to the subsequent creation of the... (More)
- The introduction and subsequent development of the railroad during the 19th century is a fundamental part of world history, due to it being a key player in the shaping of modern society. Therefore, the history of the railroad and its importance is a subject well suited for museums with several museums dedicated to railroad history appearing around the world. Within these museums, trains become integral objects on display due to their close connection to the railroads, as well as them being highly recognizable objects among museum visitors. However, the usage of trains as exhibition objects create several concerns for the museum personnel, as their physical and spatial properties can pose a challenge to the subsequent creation of the exhibitions they are meant to be a part of. The aim of this thesis is therefore to seek an understanding of these concerns and how they might affect the museum personnel’s exhibition production and transferring of knowledge to the museum visitor. This is done through exhibition analysis with an emphasis on assemblage at the three largest railway museums in Sweden, and interviews with the museum personnel. The material gained from these methods is studied on a basis of actor-network theory and phenomenology, arguing that the trains and museum personnel together form a dynamic network which possibly gives them both the agency to influence the exhibitions and their narrative impact on the museum visitor. The findings show that the trains in several ways hold a significant power over the exhibition layout, and that their material existence can leave a direct, profound impression on the visitor. However, the museum personnel wields even greater power concerning the possibility of shaping the visitor’s mindset, as they can manipulate the trains in different ways to create narratives which can’t be expressed through the mere physical existence of them. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9191696
- author
- Caesar, Viktor LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- All aboard! On the function of trains as museum objects and their impact on museums’ exhibition production
- course
- ABMM74 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Agency, Assemblage analysis, Materiality, Museology, Museum exhibitions, Phenomenology, Railway history, Trains
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9191696
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-25 08:43:03
- date last changed
- 2025-06-25 08:43:03
@misc{9191696,
abstract = {{The introduction and subsequent development of the railroad during the 19th century is a fundamental part of world history, due to it being a key player in the shaping of modern society. Therefore, the history of the railroad and its importance is a subject well suited for museums with several museums dedicated to railroad history appearing around the world. Within these museums, trains become integral objects on display due to their close connection to the railroads, as well as them being highly recognizable objects among museum visitors. However, the usage of trains as exhibition objects create several concerns for the museum personnel, as their physical and spatial properties can pose a challenge to the subsequent creation of the exhibitions they are meant to be a part of. The aim of this thesis is therefore to seek an understanding of these concerns and how they might affect the museum personnel’s exhibition production and transferring of knowledge to the museum visitor. This is done through exhibition analysis with an emphasis on assemblage at the three largest railway museums in Sweden, and interviews with the museum personnel. The material gained from these methods is studied on a basis of actor-network theory and phenomenology, arguing that the trains and museum personnel together form a dynamic network which possibly gives them both the agency to influence the exhibitions and their narrative impact on the museum visitor. The findings show that the trains in several ways hold a significant power over the exhibition layout, and that their material existence can leave a direct, profound impression on the visitor. However, the museum personnel wields even greater power concerning the possibility of shaping the visitor’s mindset, as they can manipulate the trains in different ways to create narratives which can’t be expressed through the mere physical existence of them.}},
author = {{Caesar, Viktor}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Tag plats! Om tågs funktion som utställningsobjekt och deras påverkan på museers utställningsproduktion}},
year = {{2025}},
}