Other Worlds in the Museum: Exhibits as Evocative Objects

Abstract

The article focuses on the evocative effect in the museum spaces: it examines the situations in which museum exhibits and their complexes operate (“work”) as evocative objects, evoking memories and emotions in visitors. The conditions and mechanisms that ensure such an effect are explored through the field observations and interviews with visitors and employees of museums, as well as reviews of expositions. I analyze the materials of three cases: The Museum-residence “Artkommunalka ‘Yerofeyev and others’” (Kolomna, Moscow region), the museum complex in the Uchma village (Yaroslavl region), and the mobile exhibition “To Trust the Dried-Up”. The analysis shows that the evocative effect in the museum spaces does not arise by itself; rather, it is provided by special efforts: in some cases, preliminary or synchronous discursive support, in others – sensory attunements.