The beginning of our final assessment was uncomplicated. Our sci-fi inspired exploration of an alien world was a concrete idea very early in the construction phases. However, understanding the need for, and then creating a research question was initially difficult.

Questions of curation stemmed from our conversations on craft and the construction of our craftsman project. The idea that stories can be shaped by how they are constructed in relation to each other, and by the curators experiences themselves piqued our interest. In particular, Scholar Condie states that museum curators need to acknowledge the lens for which they present artefacts (Condie 2021) as we imprint out own view and biases. However, this will manifest differently as we are to create the narrative, and then choose how to present it, rather than adopting a narrative provided to us.

In this way, I think we will need to be mindful of which parts of humanity we are consciously or subconsciously reflecting, making sure to intentionally critique (LaBrutto 2008) the troubles of humanity (topics like racism or exploitation) rather than creating a world that subconsciously perpetrates these ideas. As our group covers different races, genders, sexualities, neurodivergence and ability/disability, I believe that we have the checks and balances available.

It was also valuable for us to reflect climate change in our work as it is the global event that shapes the people of our time universally. I believe this will make our sci-fi narrative able to connect to a wider audience, which museum spaces are constructed to do (Condie 2021).

 

Reference List:

Condie M, 2021 ‘Between the past and the present: Museums and the construction of history’, Teaching History Journal, vol 55, iss 1, pg 15-23

LoBrutto P, 2008, ‘Science Fiction 101: Tips on creating an alternate world’, Madavor Media LLC, Braintree.