Abstract

DAVIDSON, Lee  and  PEREZ CASTELLANOS, Leticia. Aztecs in Oceania. Researching Cross-cultural Encounters in an International Travelling Exhibition. Intervención (Méx. DF) [online]. 2015, vol.6, n.12, pp.25-38. ISSN 2007-249X.

Promoted as forms of cultural diplomacy that facilítate understanding amongst nations, international touring exhibitions produce a rich and complex web of intersections between people, objects, practices and ideas. As mobile contact zones that cross borders between contrasting institutional, cultural and political contexts, these displays are an ideal vehicle for examining multi-layered forms of cross-cultural encounter. However, very little literature exists on this topic. This paper discusses an ongoing, long-term, transnational study of an international touring exhibition, which was part of the first ever exhibition exchange between New Zealand and Mexico, and also travelled to two venues in Australia during 2013 and 2014. The study uses a multi-method approach to understand how both museum professionals and visitors experience and interpret cross-cultural contacts within the context of an international exhibition. The RESEARCH reflects on the process, challenges and bene- fits of conducting cross-cultural museum research, using an example that illustrates four different perspectives on one aspect of the exhibition.

Keywords : international touring exhibitions; cross-cultural encounters; museum contact zones; visitor experience.

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