Analysis Of The Significance And Practice Of Contemporary Museum Collection

Since the 1930 s,museum contemporary collecting has gradually formed four stages in theoretical research and practical exploration: practice-led,theoretical germination,parallelism and new changes in the context of globalisation.In the process of theoretical and practical development,the content,value and methodology of contemporary collecting have been discussed in academic circles,but there is no clear and unified definition of museum contemporary collecting,and the practice of contemporary collecting varies from museum to museum.In response to this situation,this paper compares the historical development of contemporary collecting,puts forward the basic concept of museum contemporary collecting,and forms a theoretical understanding through practical analysis,with a view to contributing to the theoretical study and practical operation of museum contemporary collecting in China.Museum contemporary collecting is a timely collection of witnessed objects,associated objects and derivative objects that reflect current social relationships,events and phenomena,which are collected by museums within a rolling horizon of five years,in order to instantly record,preserve and project social and cultural values.Museum contemporary collecting is an active reflection of the cultural needs of society,a material expression of social and cultural connotations and a material carrier of cultural memory.It is a combination of the act of collecting,the object of collecting and the result of collecting.According to the object of collection and the subject of collecting,museum contemporary collecting practice is divided into three main types: specialised,thematic and daily.Specialised contemporary collecting is directed and systematic,presenting a complete picture of an event,theme,phenomenon,person,etc.,and is generally practised by thematic museums.Thematic contemporary collecting is collected around a specific theme and is part of the museum’s overall collection.Daily contemporary collecting is the result of the museum’s daily collection work and is in line with the museum’s objectives and scope of collection.In museum practice,thematic and daily contemporary collecting complement each other and can co-exist.Museum contemporary collecting can change the original concept and structure of museum collections,transforming the temporal division of collection research from a fixed point in time to a dynamic interval,applying the concept of short periods of time focusing on moments,individuals and events to museum collections,and using instantaneous change as an entry point to long historical narratives.In practice,contemporary museum collecting plays an important role as immediate records,promotes communication and awareness between museums and communities,within and between communities,strengthens identity and cultural belonging,and promotes the sustainable development of museums and society.In the context of Chinese museums,the systematic implementation of contemporary collecting practices breaks through the limitations of the original cultural heritage mindset on museum collecting practices and actively changes the concept of collecting.Guided by a contemporary collecting policy that is appropriate to their development needs,museums improve collecting methods and channels.In addition,contemporary collecting offers more possibilities and limitless possibilities for museum collecting,displaying and researching,and provide new ideas and challenges for museum operations.This paper analyses the concept and content of museum contemporary collecting,understands the types of museum contemporary collecting practices,dissect the theoretical and practical implications of contemporary museum collecting,and proposes museum contemporary collecting methods that are suitable for the development needs of Chinese museums,contributing to the depth of museum theoretical research and innovation in collection practices.