reactivate moai
The neutralizing attitude of museums towards those controversial collections should be assessed again carefully by audience. Are they really neutral? Are they really able to agree with repatriation of those controversial? The answers of both are obscure since today's social rules are operated within the framework of nationalism. The boundary between cultural issue and political dispute becomes blurred. This project tries to interfere those complex question and provides a solution from design perspective. How can designer engages into cultural and political conflict and solve it smoothly?
Hoa Hakananai'a is one of those controversial relics. It has been preserved by British Museum after Queen Victoria donated it. Recent years, Easter island people try to reclaim it from British Museum. The process is very slow and opaque.
What if we can provide a solution which can reduce the burden of the museum but also cope with the reclaim? Ultimately, the core issue behind the problem is still continuation of colonialism in museums. So the problem could be simplified as how to decolonize the museum. As statue being displayed, the exhibition space is the subject of this project.
Moai is regarded as incarnation of Rapa Nui people's ancestors. Aborigine believe Moai can protect them and maintain the relationships among tribes. So Hoa Hakananai'a should be rotated 89° CW in room 24 at British Museum so that it can face to where it faced before and keep blessing its descendant.
A contour model is integrated into the exhibition space. It represents the terrain of original space and simulate original environment. It can endow the exhibition space a different meaning. I hope those adjustment can create a different relationship between museum and its visitor. Visitors are no longer coming to browse museum's private collections but experience exotic culture and decolonize the museum consequently.
The function of exhibition space can be transferred from displaying relics to providing immersive cultural atmosphere for visitors. The proposal might be unable to urge institution return controversial collections but show their respect to them and their original owners, and mitigate the deterioration risk of cultural issues without politics interference.
