Oral Testimonies as Independent Museum Exhibits: A Case Study from the Industrial Gas Museum in Athens

Abstract

Despite museums’ increased use of oral history as an important interpretive method, exhibitions that place oral testimonies at the heart of the museum are very scarce. Even more scarce are exhibitions which take advantage of the richness of an acoustic-only experience. This article calls for a more critical reflection on the use of oral exhibits in museums and the benefits of aural experience through the example of an oral history exhibition at the Industrial Gas Museum in Athens, Greece. The exhibition began as an exercise in using oral testimonies autonomously in a museum setting and confirmed that exhibitions which put oral history center stage may offer visitors rich, immersive experiences by using the audio as a launchpad for enhanced understanding. In discussing this project, the article also acknowledges the merits of oral history as an essential element of public history and community engagement in museums.

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