Desmusea

Creator: Desmusea|Art form: Audiovisual, Digital media, Visual arts|Knowledge valorisation : Co-creation, Outreach|Place: Madrid,Spain|Location : Hybrid|Target group: Cultural and creative professionals and institutions, General public, Public authorities & policy makers|Domains: Digital Age|Duration : Long-term project

Connection of museums and audiences in the interstices of virtuality and face-to-face, and artistic dynamics.

Challenge: The universal dimension of museums, spaces for the exhibition of art, is configured according to standardised parameters. Rethinking the approach to the public and the inclusion of new technologies is a scalable challenge for any institution of this type.

Desmusea is an artistic and cultural mediation collective formed by Clara Harguindey (front-end developer) and Daniel Pecharromán (museologist and cultural mediator). They work with collections from museums and cultural institutions to articulate new stories about them through digital projects. They connect museums and audiences in the interstices of virtuality and face-to-face.

They coordinate and curate projects in Spain (Museo de Arte Reina Sofía, Matadero Madrid, La casa encendida, Tabakalera, Artium, UPV/EHU, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao and Centro de Cultura Contemporánea de Barcelona, among others) and South America (Escuela del Ministerio de Cultura de Perú, Centro Cultural de España en Montevideo, Uruguay).

Resources needed

Highly advanced digital tools, artistic dynamics to link citizenship with museums

Purpose of artistic intervention

Its aim is to promote the digital transition of museums and art exhibition venues, to encourage critical thinking about the configuration of museums (as “sacred” spaces that can sometimes be distant from the public) and to carry out mediation work that brings the public closer to these centres.

Positive impacts

They promote artistic, museological, organisational and pedagogical innovation through cultural mediation activities combined with new technologies and collaboration between different sectors (cross-fertilisation) and between the different agents that make up the value chain of artistic creation and exhibition.

Replication

Desmusea is highly replicable across various museum institutions, provided they have or can access the necessary technological infrastructure, expertise, and resources. The project’s reliance on standardized technological tools and the growing trend of digital engagement in cultural institutions further enhance its replicability. The willingness of museums to innovate and engage with their audiences in new ways will be critical to successfully adopting and adapting this model.