Prof. Yuko Hasegawa delivered her lecture as follows.

Description
Art has the power to stimulate people’s sensibilities through a diverse range of means of expression, including video, sound and installation, and to foster a sense of empathy by providing new perspectives and values
Contemporary Art museums have the nature of a ‘museum of delusion’, and they (museums) should be places that shake up existing values and stimulate new ways of thinking.
Contemporary art is ‘inter-disciplinary’,and it encourages people to produce their own knowledge through‘shared multi-sensory experiences’and‘sensory learning’.Curator should facilitate the collaboration between artists and scientists ,all other experts.
In this lecture I will introduce about these topics focusing on the current exhibition Dancing with All: Ecology of Empathy which is held in 21st century museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.

Podcast in English

Here are my summary.

Executive summary

The lecture, “The 22nd Century Museum,” envisions a future institution that actively addresses contemporary anxieties by fostering heightened consciousness and collective intelligence. It proposes moving beyond traditional art presentation to a dynamic space for “sensory learning,” where visitors install “new realities” by engaging multiple senses.

Table of Contents

Presentation of the Theme and Background:
* Introduction of the lecture title: “The 22nd Century Museum.”
* Discussion of the current societal context and the evolving role of museums.

  1. Introduction of Key Concepts:
    • Highlighting core ideas for the 22nd Century Museum, including:
      • Sensory Learning (learning through the senses).
      • The museum as an Empathetic Space.
      • Installation of New Realities through learning via sensibility.
      • Formation of Relational Value by artists and curators.
  2. Theoretical Framework:
    • Introduction of Bruno Latour’s Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as a foundational pillar.
    • Explanation of understanding society as a network of diverse actors (human and non-human).
    • Emphasis on the importance of relationships between actors and the act of translation (interpreting and mediating the meanings and purposes of other actors).
    • Positioning the curator’s role as a translator connecting different actors (domains, experts, ideas).
  3. Introduction of Concrete Examples:
    • Showcasing works from actual exhibitions and collaborative projects with experts from various fields (botanists, soil researchers, anthropologists, designers, etc.).
    • Illustrating how the aforementioned keywords and theories are put into practice.
    • Examples include:
      • Multi-sensory artworks (smell, sound, vibration).
      • Works and discussions related to the Anthropocene.
      • Multiple perspectives on ecology and new aesthetics.
      • Attempts to visualize and translate data and natural phenomena.
      • Practices of repairing broken things and discovering new value.
  4. Proposal for a New Museum Model:
    • Presenting a vision for the future museum as an integrated model of School, Museum, and Archive.
    • Aiming for a place where participants become “agents” of knowledge production through sensory learning, visual experiences, and deep dives facilitated by archival resources.
    • Mention of international examples (e.g., “Green Museubrary”).
  5. Message and Q&A:
    • Concluding message emphasizing the importance of places for shared learning where sensibility and intellect merge, especially in response to contemporary fragmentation and challenges.
    • Further detailed explanations in response to audience questions regarding:
      • The specific meaning of fusing schools and museums.
      • Methods for preserving artworks.
      • The unique characteristics of museums (e.g., fostering meaningful dialogue).

Some arguments

The vision for the “22nd Century Museum” emerged from a sense of urgency about our future and the conviction that our daily efforts to heighten consciousness and intuition are crucial. This future museum’s role extends beyond showcasing art; it must be a catalyst for updating our collective understanding of the contemporary world, encompassing diverse fields of knowledge. Modern art, with its multifaceted media, is uniquely positioned to facilitate this. The aim is to cultivate a space where we can actively engage with the complexities of our time, fostering an awareness that helps us navigate an uncertain present and collaboratively build a more resilient future. This involves a proactive stance, where the museum becomes an engine for evolving perspectives and preparing us for what lies ahead, ensuring we don’t just passively await the future but actively shape it.

  • A core concept for the future museum is “sensory learning” – acquiring knowledge and understanding through the engagement of all our senses. Art, in its diverse forms, stimulates us through visual, auditory, tactile, and even olfactory experiences, fostering a potent combination of sensibility and intellect. This process allows for the “installation of new realities,” where exhibitions act as empathetic spaces for exchanging experiences and opinions. By moving beyond purely intellectual or visual consumption, the museum can help visitors embody new perspectives. This is particularly vital now, as we are bombarded with information. Art and design can translate complex, cross-disciplinary knowledge into tangible, perceivable experiences, making the museum a site where individuals cultivate their own “personal knowledge” through deeply felt sensory engagement.
  • My approach heavily incorporates Bruno Latour’s Actor-Network Theory (ANT), which understands society as a dynamic network of diverse “actors”—not just humans, but also animals, technologies, institutions, and even concepts. The meaning and roles of these actors are defined by their relationships within the network. Curation, in this context, becomes a crucial act of “translation.” The curator connects disparate actors—artists, scientists, historical objects, contemporary ideas—interpreting and re-presenting their meanings to forge new relationships and understandings for the audience. This creation of “relational value” is fundamental. It’s about forming a constellation of ideas and experiences where the connections themselves generate new insights, moving beyond the intrinsic qualities of individual elements to highlight the power of their interplay.
  • The 22nd Century Museum should be a dynamic site for “knowledge production,” moving away from being a passive repository of objects and information. It should foster an environment where visitors become active “agents” in constructing their own understanding and generating new knowledge. This involves creating “empathetic spaces” where diverse perspectives can be shared and new clusters of shared understanding can emerge. The aim is to help individuals internalise information and experiences, transforming them into “true knowledge” or even “wisdom” when shared and expanded collectively. This means the museum experience encourages critical engagement, interpretation, and the formation of personal “constellations” of meaning, rather than just absorbing pre-defined narratives.
  • Ultimately, I propose a model where the school, museum, and archive merge into an integrated institution. This “School-Museum-Archive” would be a place dedicated to producing knowledge through sensory learning and providing the archival depth for further exploration. Imagine a space where you can have a profound sensory experience with an artwork, then immediately access resources to delve deeper into its context, related research, and historical precedents, fostering a continuous cycle of learning and discovery. This fusion aims to cultivate “agents” of knowledge production, individuals who actively engage with information, build their own understanding, and contribute to a collective intelligence. It’s about creating an environment where emotion and intellect intertwine, leading to a more holistic and impactful form of learning and engagement for the 22nd century.