Note: This post is part of my “Museums Project“, a collection of 200+ high-concept ideas for museums.
When you arrive at the museum, your strength and height are assessed. Then you are given a valuable work of art to hold as you wander the museum.
Do you want to see other art?
Well, you’ll have to find a stranger holding some other art.
Here, there is no art displayed in the formally. All the art is carried by other patrons.
Even with the “how much can you carry” question addressed, I see that we might have another challenge to solve: Some groups will form around certain people – not because of the art but because those people are more attractive. Attractive people might distract from the art. So people might have to wear a mask or costume. Or at least the attractive people will have to. Or maybe we ask everyone to wear a costume. No one likes getting their feelings hurt at the museum.
Maybe they can’t even talk. Or maybe the point is to talk to other people and so no mask.
Maybe the artists are there to keep an eye on you so you don’t mess up their stuff.
Maybe you don’t know who the artist is, they just look like anyone else.
For those that don’t like holding art in a museum, maybe there are two options, Number One: hold this art; and Number Two: Look at people holding that art.
Maybe the art is arranged by a curator at certain times. Maybe all the art needs signed by the guests, because at this point they are part of the art. Maybe they should sign the museum instead.
Maybe this is a good idea for a silent auction. The person holding the art has to try to get bids, and it is a contest between art holders to see who gets the highest bids.
Or… maybe it’s just a museum where people walk around with art.
Maybe the art is all small art. And it is covered up or in a box. So people come up to you and ask to see the art, and you open the box and show it to them. Then you hide it again and wait for the next person.
But how does the museum maintain that they have “no place to put it”? Clearly a museum making such a claim would not be so daft as to present itself with blank walls, easily discernable by patrons as perfectly good places to put art that was puported to have no location to be put.
Perhaps the walls are covered in something ridiculous that is clearly less-deserving. Or perhaps this museum is out in a field where there really isn’t any place to put it. I like that idea. It might also double as commentary about the lack of cultural infrastructure.
I have made the assumption that most of the art is light, most of the patrons are strong, or that there is a mix of both and that the art and patron are matched up with these qualities in mind. There might need to be wagons, dollys, or other means of moving the art around should we have more heavy art or more wimpy patrons than expected.