Symbolic Machines

Institutional Transformation through Exhibitions
How does a changing understanding of the museum’s public role influence the way exhibitions are created today? In what ways can exhibitions transform, discuss or revise the art institutions from within?
With contributions from artists, scholars and curators, this book examines how exhibitions not only reflect but can also challenge and reshape a museum’s relevance to its audience.
 
Artistic critiques have long revealed the gendered, classed and colonial power structures embedded within institutions. Recently, however, there has been a shift toward institutional self-critique, with even major museums increasingly addressing their practices and narratives in public dialogue with audiences. By integrating historical context with contemporary analysis, Symbolic Machines explores these transformations and shows how museums and exhibitions can actively engage with societal change.
 
Edited by Pernille Lystlund Matzen, curator and PhD, and Jacob Lund, associate professor of Aesthetics and Culture at Aarhus University, this volume presents a diverse range of perspectives on the changing practices and critical functions of museums and exhibitions. Contributors include Nora Sternfeld, Yvette Mutumba, Cem A., Kim West, Giulia Bellinetti, Lucia Pietroiusti and James Voorhies.

Distributed for Aarhus University Press in association with the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

Contributor: Pernille Lystlund Matzen (Edited by), Jacob Lund (Edited by), Nora Sternfeld (Contributions by), Mutumba Yvette (Contributions by), Cem A. (Contributions by), Kim West (Contributions by), Giulia Bellinetti (Contributions by), Lucia Pietroiusti (Contributions by), James Voorhies (Contributions by)

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.