mirar y admirar

What and / or who is a museum object? In the Barcelona Wax Museum we find different individuals who are a part of history and popular culture represented through the hyper-realistic sculpture technique, fooling the mind in a way and giving the impression that who we have in front of are real people.

The wax sculpture brings us closer to the person represented, but which of the two is the work of art? The artist is not recognized, the technique is not important, the museum becomes a kind of "show" where the incentive is to take pictures with the person represented and idolize them.

The project proposes, through the redesign of the posters of the sculptures, to reveal the hidden truths of the characters we admire. In addition, the Wax Museum is intervened, turning it into a true museum through the recognition of the artist. In this way, we question the perception and interaction with respect to the works and the museum.

proposal

What if we uncover the most hidden truths of those we admire? What if these characters appeared anonymously, and the recognition went to the artist? Would it change our vision and interaction regarding the work and the museum?

Our intervention consists of modifying the proximity that exists between user and work, distorting the meaning of the wax museum with a simple action: changing the descriptive labels of the wax figures.

The proximity to the piece, being able to take selfies and being so close that you can even touch it, is a factor that breaks with the schemes of the conventional museum. At the same time the work itself is not monumentalized, whilst the person who is represented through the work as well as the sculptor remain hidden under the name of the wax museum; without any kind of recognition.

This museum model is more similar to a “show” than to what is characteristic of today, in which there is respect for the work of art.​​​​​​​

Therefore, our proposal is to create physical distance between the viewer and the work through two mechanisms:

The first is to desecrate the work. We identify that the work valued by the viewer is not the wax sculpture, but the character that is represented. Therefore, we must act directly on the person, and we do so by discovering their "hidden history", related to sexist violence and sexual abuse, to provoke a distance out of morality or respect and generate discomfort at the time of taking the photo. A QR code with the link to the news that corroborates the veracity of the story or accusation is added to the display.

The second part aims to turn the Barcelona Wax Museum into a sacred space. With the same mechanism of the redesign of the cartouches, the authorship is attributed to the artist/sculptor, an objective title is given to the sculpture (eg: Albert Einstein, becomes Disheveled Man). The technique with which the sculpture was created is also recognized and symbols are added indicating that the sculpture cannot be touched or photographed. A line is also incorporated on the ground that defines the maximum distance you can approach.​​​​​​​

The poster on the main facade of the museum is modified but now with a new name: Ron Mueck Museum.

To formalize the intentions of this project, it is decided to generate a two-sided tour. On both sides, the images of the wax sculptures are exactly the same but their descriptive labels are different on each side. In this way it is revealed how, despite seeing the same thing, two different narratives are interpreted.

Claudia Anguera | Marina Cabanes | Laura Palacios | Manuela Quintero

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3rd term | 2nd and 3rd GDIS ELISAVA | Transversal project: Profaning the museum | June 2021

Tutorized by: Daniele Porretta, Jordi Oliveras, Ramon Faura, Victor Betriu