The newly opened Bury Museum and Archive is taking a refreshingly open-ended approach to displaying history. It has done away with didacticism, and has decided to let visitors make their own connections between the objects on display. It doesn’t always work, but it’s great to see someone try.
The museum and archive are situated on the lower ground floor of Bury’s existing art gallery, and the new development brings all three collections under the same roof for the first time. From the entrance hall of the Victorian building you can now go up to the art gallery or through an etched glass door, down into the museum. The staircase into the museum leaves behind the relative grandeur of the entrance: it is simple and undecorated but still distinctly Victorian … until you come to the bottom. Here the space opens out to two minimalist gallery spaces – limestone floors, white walls, very well lit.
There are currently three displays in the museum, all of which present objects that relate to Bury, its local history and how that history fits into wider national and international events. The displays are object rich, but what is refreshing is that they are not fighting for space with reams of labels and text panels. In fact, with the exception of a handful of labels, the text is confined to the title of the display or a few contemporary quotes. This is more than enough to indicate the subject, whilst leaving visitors to create their own connections between objects and to follow their own thoughts about the subject matter. This open-endedness is a real treat.
The first gallery contains a single display comprising nine cases set into a wall. The only text gives the title: Changing communities, places, times. The central case holds a series of large objects including a wooden stand and an over-the-top gilt pitcher. To either side are four smaller cases with a variety of objects. One of the smaller cases contains Victoriana, another is full of toys, and a third contains archaeological finds such as flints and pottery. It’s not difficult to guess that these are objects connected with Bury: excavated, donated, manufactured or typical of Bury life at some time. Taken as a whole the cases provide a history of Bury through things left behind, and rather than being told what to think about them, visitors are able to create their own train of thought about the implications.
Not all the cases are easy to follow, though. The connection between the terracotta bust of Queen Victoria and a 1930s doll takes some guessing (something to do with the importance of younger generations, which is a little tenuous). However, there are well-produced booklets located by the seats in the centre of the gallery for those who require further information. These not only list the objects on display but also give some of their history, and locate them within the context of other events. To complement the cases, on the opposite wall a screen shows clips of film from Bury’s history. There are also two nicely produced touchscreen interactives that give comprehensive information about the museum and its renovation.
The second gallery space houses two displays. The first continues the theme of changing communities and times but focuses on hygiene and sanitation. Again, there is no ‘text’ in the usual sense, just three quotations that sum up the theme of the display. Only a few of the objects are labelled, and these provide enough information for visitors to then make sense of what else in the case. For example, two wooden water pipes are labelled, and placed near a six-pack of mineral water and modern water pipes (all unlabelled): the connection is obvious but the train of questions and thoughts the juxtaposition sets off is left to the visitor to contemplate. The display does not force the issue, or assume it knows the ‘important’ questions, or pretend it can say everything on a label or panel. Visitors are left to explore meaning and implications for themselves.
Again, not everything works perfectly. The positioning of a modern toothbrush on a Victorian washstand is out of keeping with the rest of the display. And what is a pair of obstetric forceps doing with the shaving implements? Nevertheless it is great to see a display that doesn’t want to dictate to its visitors.
The final display is a moving account of the landing at Gallipoli in 1915. It is a single case with objects set against a background of images of local men who lost their lives. The objects are not out of the ordinary for a WWI exhibition – a Vickers gun, some barbed wire, a collection of medals. What makes them poignant is the single panel of text that contains only contemporary accounts. Reading these creates a series of images that places the objects in context in a way that dry curatorial text cannot.
The museum is encouraging visitors to explore Bury’s past and present in more ways than interrogating the displays. The archive is situated next to the second gallery and its study area is clearly visible through a glass wall. The door is open, and you can walk in and make an enquiry. It will be interesting to see if this ‘transparency’ encourages previous non-users to go in.
By not feeling that it needs to tell visitors what to think about its exhibitions, and therefore recognising the multitude of thoughts and meanings associated with the subjects, Bury Museum and Archive has produced a series of open-minded displays. In spite of the few sections of the displays that are a bit obscure, the resultant feeling from these exhibitions is that visitors are included in the history of Bury and are encouraged to think about it, rather than having it imposed on them. Add to that the very good supporting booklets and extremely knowledgeable staff and this is a great opening.
Moss Street, Bury, BL9 0DR
This article first appeared in Museums Journal in 2005.
Since this was published the Museum has undergone further renovation and is now Bury Art Museum and Sculpture Centre.
Rachel Souhami 