Museum Connections 2024

Inspiration Conferences

INSPIRATION CONFERENCES

The conference program presented at Museum Connections is produced hand in hand with the INSPIRATION BOARD, a network of experts and professionals in the field of culture and tourism, capable of identifying future themes and challenges for the sector.


DISCOVER THE INSPIRATION BOARD MEMBERS:

KEY THEMES ADDRESSED THIS YEAR:

FEEDBACK FROM MUSEUM VISITORS

For the first time in its history, Museum Connections is inviting audiences to take part in its conference programme. Co-construction, participation... more and more cultural projects are being developed not just for audiences, but with them. It is in this spirit that we invite them to share their experiences, expectations and visions on the stage of the Inspiration Room. 
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VISITORS EXPERIENCE OF TOMORROW: HUMANIZATION AND DIGITALIZATION

This theme will explore the tension, and sometimes alliance, between these two key evolutions in museums and heritage venues. Digital engagement, and even immersion with extended reality (XR), have established themselves as essential drivers in the relationship between audiences and cultural content, enabling attractiveness and interactivity. 
With the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI), the digitization of museums and heritage, and the experience that audiences make, are taking a new step forward, as we witness the emergence of AI-based museum itineraries. Simultaneously with the advent of the "homo numericus" visitor, emotions and senses are growingly important through sensory museum experience.
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VENUES AND TERRITORIES IN MOTION

This theme continues to explore the transformation of cultural venues in terms of governance, missions, partnerships and openness to other sectors undertaken as part of the conference programme. Here the interest will be focused on contemporary issues and challenges, as well as innovative uses of heritage sites and new ways of audience engagement in memorial sites, castles in rural areas and major monuments. 
In addition, a "carte blanche" given to the Chinese Association of Museums,  will explore the current and future challenges facing museums in China.
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GREEN TRANSITION: IMPLEMENTATION AND NARRATIVE

The theme extends the analysis carried out since 2021 of the impact and responsibility of museums, heritage sites and cultural tourism in terms of ecological transition. 
How does a venue build its ecological narrative, and what relationship does it have with audiences upstream of project design? How does an institution contribute to mobilization and "climate empowerment"? 
This leads us to examine the new paradigms of cultural communication, which must be increasingly sustainable. Finally, this theme will deepen the research carried into the major challenge posed by the ecological responsibility of immersive technologies.
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PROGRAM

This program only includes the INSPIRATION ROOM's schedule.

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Jan 16Jan 17
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Jan 16, 2024
10:00 AM - 10:50 AM

AI & museums: towards a new visitor experience?

Sam BOMPAS (BOMPAS & PARR / MUSEUM OF SHAKESPEARE)Karen DROST (Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision)Laurent GAVEAU (INDÉPENDANT)
Description
Digital technology and interactivity as a means of spreading knowledge seem to have reached a tipping point with AI and the ultra-personalisation of online cultural experience. But what about AI as part of the physical museum visit, and, for example, the use of controversial technologies such as facial recognition? The Sound & Vision Museum in the Netherlands, the ""first museum in the world that constantly adapts to visitors' actions"", has done it, and the team in charge of the new Museum of Shakespeare (due to open in London in 2025) is in the process of developing it. Could this be the beginning of an innovation that could spread throughout the museum world? We will, however, address the thorny issue of personal data protection.
Jan 16, 2024
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Climate empowerment & exhibitions: innovative audience engagement

Celia BACHMANN (STAPFERHAUS )Josephine CHANTER (DESIGN MUSEUM LONDON)Ronan DE LA CROIX (CHANGENOW)Sebastian MALL (REFLEKT / MUSEUM FÜR KOMMUNIKATION FRANKFURT & BERLIN)
Description
Exhibitions dealing with the climate and environmental crises have become widespread in cultural and scientific venues, with the aim not only of spreading knowledge, but also of providing the keys to taking action. An increasing number of venues have set themselves the goal of helping to fight eco-anxiety and promoting climate empowerment. In this context, what are the new paradigms in audience engagement? On the one hand, there are exhibitions that base their approach on prior opinion polls on the climate and environmental crises; on the other, there are projects that incorporate the opinions and feelings of audiences into the exhibition itineraries themselves; and there are exhibitions that are born out of dialogue with their audiences, with participatory programming that supports climate mobilisation in very concrete ways. These are just some of the innovative and very relevant ways in which cultural venues can embody their responsibility in relation to these issues.
Jan 16, 2024
12:15 PM - 1:05 PM

Innovating to promote 20th century memorial heritage

Mathilde BERNARDET (MINISTÈRE DES ARMÉES, Direction de la mémoire, de la culture et des archives)Pascal Louis CAILLAUT (COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION FRANCE)Bettina LOPPE (SPUR.LAB - BRANDENBURGISCHE GESELLSCHAFT FÜR KULTUR UND GESCHICHTE)Nicolas SERPETTE (MÉMORIAL DU CAMP DE RIVESALTES)
Description
In the wake of the Centenary of World War I, new approaches to memorial heritage have emerged, with the structuring of remembrance tourism and the beginning of the digitization of memorial heritage. Today, in the context of the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy on the one hand, and facing the urgent need to respond to the disappearance of the last witnesses of the Second World War atrocities on the other, new large-scale initiatives are emerging to preserve and promote shared memory. While memorials and museums dedicated to the memory of the European conflicts of the 20th century are crucial for transmission to younger generations as well as for the identity and even the attractiveness of an area, we will explore innovation in that field, in terms of digital technology, mediation, territorial structuring and ecological transition.
Jan 16, 2024
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM

Sensory mediation: for an emotional experience of museums and heritage sites

Lucie AERTS (MUSÉE NATIONAL DE LA MARINE)Kathleen BOUQUET (MUSÉE DE LA CONSERVERIE DE LOCTUDY)Isabelle BURKHALTER (MAH - MUSÉE D'ART ET D'HISTOIRE DE GENÈVE)Anne-Sophie GRASSIN (MAC VAL - MUSÉE D'ART CONTEMPORAIN DU VAL-DE-MARNE)Anne-Sophie MARCHAL (CHÂTEAU DE CHILLON, LA LUCARNE)Charlotte SLARK (THE SENSATIONAL MUSEUM / UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER)
Description
In parallel with the increase of analogue and digital mediation tools, we have seen a return to the senses and emotions as key aspects of cultural experience. Venues are putting the visitor's body back at the centre of the relationship with cultural objects and at the heart of soothing or stimulating sensory devices. In this conference, we will be looking at the distinctions between "sensory", "sensational", "multisensory", and at the different ways in which accessible and inclusive cultural experiences are now being offered to all kinds of audiences. We will explore projects that incorporate the senses and emotions from an early stage, and at the reasons why venues implement them, as well as their impact.
Jan 16, 2024
3:20 PM - 4:30 PM

Young participants & museums: visions, expectations and feedback

Sophie BARRETT-POULEAU (TATE)Victor CARVALHO MOUTINHO (Centre Pompidou)Michael IRWIN (Tate)Nelly ODIN (MUCEM)Lucien PIN (MUCEM)Florence SAYAG-MORAT (CENTRE POMPIDOU)Annabelle TÜRKIS (CONFERENCE CURATOR MUSEUM CONNECTIONS)
Description
Since the 1990s, museums have been developing participatory programmes for teenagers and young adults as individuals, giving them a voice inside the institution and offering them a dedicated platform to interact with peers, artists and professionals. Studies have shown the impact of these programmes on young people and their significant contribution to the institution. Now we would like to hear from the young participants themselves. Alongside their institutional referees, we are inviting on stage young people to talk about their role and their experience within these programmes. We'll be inviting them to tell us about their perceptions and expectations, as well as their visions of the transitions that are currently taking place in the cultural world. This round table follows on the conference : YOUNG AUDIENCES & IMPACT: HOW TO PUT YOUNG PEOPLE "INTO ACTION" from the 2023 conference programme. Access the replay
Jan 17, 2024
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

Immersive technologies and environmental responsibility: new update

Landia EGAL (CEPIR)Julia LUCZAK-ROUGEAUX (TOM.TRAVEL)
Description
While we are aware that XR cultural experiences have a negative impact on the planet, solutions for reducing it are still at a very early stage. That's why we offer a new update on the subject, taking a look at the CEPIR research project, which benefited from the France 2030 scheme ""Supporting green alternatives in the cultural sector"". The aim of the CEPIR project is to produce data and tools to assess the environmental impact of the French XR sector and to make recommendations to policy-makers and professionals to ensure that it is compatible with an ambitious trajectory for 2030.The CEPIR research project (Cas d'Étude pour un Immersif Responsable) is led by the Tiny Planets - Novelab - Coopérative carbone consortium and their partners. This round table follows on from the one proposed in 2023 ICI LIEN" This round table follows on the conference : IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSABILITY from the 2023 conference programme. Access the replay
Jan 17, 2024
11:00 AM - 11:50 AM

Sustainable cultural communication: roles, skills and resources

Laurence BERLAMONT-EQUEY (MEG - MUSÉE D'ÉTHNOGRAPHIE DE GENÈVE)Hélène HUBERT (LES RAISONNÉES)Lilian MADELON (OPÉRA DE RENNES)Frauke STENGEL (ZEPPELIN MUSEUM)
Description
Faced with the transformations of the cultural world in the context of the ecological crisis, sustainable communication is taking root in institutions, in external and/or internal communication. Communication professionals now need to master new skills: - highlighting their organisation's commitments and initiatives, avoiding greenwashing - mastering the terminology and channels of sustainable communication - promoting the new narratives conveyed by their institution's cultural and scientific project - eco-design a printed or digital medium and take the relevant decisions, etc. - mobilise employees. We will be looking at strategies, obstacles, as well as resources available to carry out these missions.
Jan 17, 2024
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM

Museums in China: current situation and perspectives for international cooperation

Wenchu LI (Luoyang Museum)Gang LI (Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum)Xiaolin MA (Henan Museum)Zhiqiang WANG (Palace Museum of the Manchurian Regime)Jing ZHENG (China Grand Canal Museum)
Description
Centre Pompidou and British Museum in Shanghai, Rencontres d'Arles in Xiamen, Musée Rodin in Shenzhen... in recent years we have witnessed a wave of long-term or more ephemeral projects by major Western cultural brands to establish themselves in China. At a time when China has seen a sustained increase in the number of museums on its territory, where do we stand today and what are the opportunities in terms of engineering and cultural cooperation? What expectations do Chinese professionals have of Western museum and heritage professionals today? How are cultural practices evolving and what are the expectations of Chinese audiences? More generally, what are the major issues shaking up the Chinese cultural world today: between ecological transition, economic development, digital innovation? 5 examples : 1. MA Xiaolin, Director of Henan Museum: Chinese practice in the new definition of the museum. 2. LI Gang, Director of Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum: Panorama of the development of archaeological site museums and the latest research results on the protection of cultural relics. 3. WANG Zhiqiang, Director of Palace Museum of the Manchurian Regime: Inter-applications of technology and innovation in Chinese museums. 4. ZHENG Jing, Director of China Grand Canal Museum: Overview of social education in Chinese museums. 5. LI Wenchu, Director of Luoyang Museum: Technological application achievements in Chinese museums.
Jan 17, 2024
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

AI & museums: what revolution(s)?

Marion CARRÉ (COMITÉ DE L'INTELLIGENCE ARTIFICIELLE GÉNÉRATIVE / ASK MONA)Emilie GIRARD (ICOM FRANCE)Olivier GLASSEY (MUSÉE DE LA MAIN UNIL-CHUV)Christoph KREMER (ARS ELECTRONICA CENTER)Kristina LEIPOLD-STRUCK (LAS ART FOUNDATION)
Description
While the use of AI in the museum sector is not new, the release of ChatGPT for widespread use has had the effect of a bombshell, potentially impacting all the functions of a cultural venue and its stakeholders. But what revolution(s) behind the hype? To understand the issues involved and grasp the risks and opportunities, we will first look at the origins and nature of AI before outlining its possible uses in the field of museums, whether in terms of research, conservation, visitor experience or visitor insights, deliberately leaving aside the topic of art created with AI, which is widely covered by the media. More broadly, we will address the central question of truth and verisimilitude, and see how AI establishes a new relationship between audiences and contents.
Jan 17, 2024
3:15 PM - 4:00 PM

Overtourism : the Italian strategy for museums

Andrea BILLI (RO.ME MUSEUM EXHIBITION)Tiziana D'ANGELO (MINISTERO DELLA CULTURA - ITALY)Valeria DI PAOLO (MINISTERO DELLA CULTURA - ITALY)
Description
The National Museum System is the project coordinated by the Directorate General for Museums that aims to build a network of Italian museums and cultural venues to improve fruition, accessibility, and management through the establishment of territorial networks, the activation of integrated enhancement processes, and the use of digital tools, such as the 'Museitaliani' App. The latter offers various services to visitors and makes it possible to enhance even the least 'attractive' sites in a logic of delocalisation of tourist flows. The case of the Velia and Paestum Archaeological Park and the strategies adopted to be more 'competitive' in a challenging context, from the best-known archaeological sites to the most attractive proximity tourist destinations, through the construction of a specific or diversified cultural offer and innovative projects, in particular thanks to digital opportunities, will be presented.
Jan 17, 2024
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM

Heritage sites: diversifying their use and finding new purposes

Josy CARREL TORLET (CMN - CENTRE DES MONUMENTS NATIONAUX)Olivier DE LORGERIL (LA DEMEURE HISTORIQUE)Cécilie DE SAINT VENANT (DOMAINE NATIONAL DE CHAMBORD)Sarah HUGOUNENQ (INDÉPENDANTE)
Description
In order to generate new revenue streams and strengthen their local roots, heritage sites that are classified as “monuments historiques” in rural areas are seeing their uses diversify away from traditional practices for welcoming international tourists. In the context of regional transition in France, the offer and the uses are increasingly based on the needs of local residents within a specific ecosystem. Some venues are taking their inspiration from “third places” to offer activities such as co-working, training, climate workshops, or craftsmanship linked to regional know-how, creating a virtuous circle that supports regional dynamics and cohesion. Alongside the new strategy of the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, we will be exploring the experiments carried out by the Demeure Historique and the Domaine national de Chambord.