TYPA, Innovation in a Museum Context

Resumo

How do print museums develop an innovative approach to their collection while providing their visitors with historical context? Using artistic printmaking to keep the heritage of print alive, many ‘working museums’ promote the global knowledge of letterpress, relying on international collaborations to generate innovative and creative approaches. The the International Council of Museums’ guidelines, only refers to a ‘working museum’, but does not offer a clear definition of what this is. How can an operational print museum demonstrate innovative practices and retain the existing knowledge of letterpress? This paper will examine the ‘working print museum’, how it can be not only a site for reimagining the past but provide new forms of research and pioneering adaptations of old technologies. This research is inspired by the concept that as the initial infatuation with certain technologies has passed, we have entered a relationship with them in expanded artistic adventure. The paper promotes the idea that printmaking and letterpress allow for a collaborative approach which not only serves to strengthen communities but can be more than a mere reproduction of a historical process and allow for expanded experimentation. Through an in-depth look of the contemporary practices, ethos, and developments of printing museums in Europe, this paper raises questions surrounding the role of museums in this post-digital world. It will look at the future of the ‘working print museum’ and suggest how letterpress practices can extend through international and European collaborations.