On a recent trip to Manchester, I had the good fortune to spend some time doing one of my favourite things: visiting museums. While I went to the Museum of Science and Industry (which I thoroughly enjoyed, though it’s very..varied), I want to discuss the Imperial War Museum North. I’d recently visited one of it’s sister museums – the Imperial War Museum London – and really enjoyed it. I hadn’t expected to be quite so engrossed by enormous machines and extensive examples of artillery from around the world, but I was. Due to time constraints I didn’t get a chance to go all around – missing, crucially, the Holocaust exhibition – but did see the majority of the other permanent displays. The focus is absolutely on artefacts rather than context, as is often the case in large-scale, more traditionally presented museums such as this (the newly reopened NMS in Edinburgh another example), though this can be enthralling and impressive in itself. But what of museums where the focus is not the things but rather, the story? This was the case at IWM North. Yes, there are plentiful artefacts, but more than anything there is context. Oh my, I was excited! As an archaeologist, I have had the perspective that Context Is King drilled into me for years. Museums will often place particular artefacts – often the headline-grabbers or the most visually impressive – in their rightful context, explaning the circumstances behind their discovery and what they represent as far as is known. For all other items, however, this is rarely the case. Visitors with no prior knowledge or understanding of the artefacts in question may gain little from seeing the items save for a few “oh that’s nice” comments. No wonder – there is nothing to say otherwise. This is what most struck me about IWM North – the fewer artefacts had greater context. No presumptions were made about prior knowledge and no judgement was passed on any of the wars in question (WW1 to the present are documented). The facts were presented with well-chosen artefacts on display all around.
The museum is effectively one wonkily-shaped large central room with small ‘silos’ focusing on particular themes (women in war; correspondance etc) within. This space is put to particularly good use for the ‘Big Picture Show’ which happens on the hour, every hour for a few minutes. As a brief announcement is made, the lights dim and the central space is transformed into a theatre with photographs and films being projected onto every wall, and audio being played; all focusing on a central theme. I found the experience to be stunningly effective. It was totally immersive, beautifully edited and incredibly well executed, for each of the films I saw. It occurred to me later that on walking around the museum how none of it felt as if it was too sparse or empty a space, yet when the picture show begins you realise how vast the space is and how well suited it is to such an event. It is testament to the architecture and design of the building that this is the case. I loved how the films commanded everyone’s attention and how incredibly moving some of the videos and audio tracks were – much more so than I might have anticipated, though I do wonder how people with either hearing, visual or other difficulties might find the experience. I felt that the entire museum was incredibly inclusive for all ages but perhaps others experiences of it differ – I would be interested to hear reactions from others, particularly in regards to the picture show.
At the time of visiting there was a temporary exhibition on about war correspondents. Sadly I only got half way round before running out of time but it appeared to be of as high a standard as everything else I’d seen. I felt IWM North had quite a transformative effect on me in terms of what I consider to be important in a museum, and feel that it is exemplary in its field. A singularly important point I feel about it is its lack of judgement. The visitor is left to make up their own mind about what they see, read, hear. I found my own previously held opinion to be solidifed by my experience in the museum – that war is ultimately futile; noone wins. What I had not expected was to realise just how important it is to document conflicts past and present both for those who are involved, whether directly or indirectly, and for the rest of the public if only to realise the impact it has on us all.
There’s an interesting note here on the thought behind the architecture.
The orange will be the lining, with the cord as a contrast base. In reality it’s effectively a darker shade of the grey in the linen but my camera won’t show that today.
