Museum education and the "desiring eye"

Abstract

Introduction During the last 10-20 years significant changes have occurred in educational settings in art museums.Partly as a consequence of constructivist approaches to learning, the position of the 'good learner' has turned into the position of a subject willing to participate in educational projects where students' ways of seeing, students' voices, and students' direct interventions have become central.The 'desiring eye' focused on sensuous, subjective, and highly individualized forms of viewing has thereby become a central requisite in new educational settings in art galleries (Illeris, 2006).In this paper I will use an example from a recent educational project to explore some of the consequences that the involvement of the viewer in participatory activities might have for the act of seeing itself.I will discuss questions such as: How do new forms of experimental educational settings challenge the dominant practices of looking of 'the disciplined eye' and 'the aesthetic eye'?And how do they stimulate and/or challenge the 'desiring eye' of the participating visitor?Case study of education of vision in new educational settings in art museums: Speak Up It is Monday morning and a vagabond finds a lady lying dead in a narrow street.She still looks fresh, except for bruises and torn clothing.He finds a book in her pocket and opens it on the last page.It says: "Lonely … Oh, so lonely.Have just been to the hairdresser.It became a little too short, but that's the way things are.I think I'll go out tonight.But not to those fancy places.It's simply too boring.People with no humour.It's pure façade.I hate to be there.No, I think I'll go to The Blue Lagoon, but then I'll have to go through the dark alley.I really don't like it.I once heard of someone who was abused in there.But I am not afraid.I have nothing to lose anyway.Dear Diary, I am so alone.I am so lonely."This short and dramatic narrative is transcribed and translated 1 from a soundtrack produced by L, S and M at Arken Museum of Modern Art, located south of Copenhagen.The three 15-16-year-old boys were participants in a 'digital workshop' called Speak Up arranged by the educational staff upon the occasion of the American artist Duane Hanson's exhibition

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