Chatterjee, H;
Vreeland, S;
Noble, G;
(2009)
Museopathy: Exploring the Healing Potential of Handling Museum Objects.
Museum and Society
, 7
(3)
pp. 164-177.
Preview |
Text
Chatterjee_Museopathy Chatt Vree Noble Museum and Society 2009.pdf Download (156kB) | Preview |
Abstract
To coincide with emerging arts and health practices, University College London Museums & Collections and University College London Hospitals Arts partnered to create a pilot project, entitled “Heritage in Hospitals”, which sought to assess whether handling museum objects has a positive impact on patient wellbeing. Quantitative data from 32 sessions conducted with patients in May through July (inclusive) of 2008 demonstrated, on average, an increase in self-reported measures of life satisfaction and health status after handling museum objects. Constant comparative analysis of the qualitative data collected from the sessions revealed two major recurring themes: “impersonal/educational” and “personal/ reminiscence”. The first theme included instances where handling museum objects allowed patients to access truths about the objects ascertainable solely through touch (such as gauging weight, texture, temperature, and spatial relation to the body), to verify what was seen, to facilitate an intimate and imaginative connection with the museum objects and their origins, to investigate and explore the objects, to permit an interaction with the “rare” and “museum-worthy”, and to assist with aesthetic appreciation. The second theme illustrated the project’s potential to assist with counselling on issues of illness, death, loss and mourning, and to help restore dignity, respect and a sense of identity (particularly among elderly patients) by providing a springboard for reminiscing and the telling of life stories in a highly institutionalized setting. This paper contextualizes the project, explores the implications of the project’s methodology and its findings, and provides questions for future research.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Museopathy: Exploring the Healing Potential of Handling Museum Objects |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Publisher version: | http://www.le.ac.uk/ms/m&s/Issue%2021/chattergee-v... |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Authors 2009. First published in Museum and Society by the University of Leicester as: Chatterjee, H; Vreeland, S; Noble, G; (2009) Museopathy: Exploring the Healing Potential of Handling Museum Objects. Museum and Society, 7 (3) pp. 164-177. |
| Keywords: | wellbeing, hospitals, reminiscence, handling, objects |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Genetics, Evolution and Environment |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1309194 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
