The Reflex Podcast is for anyone interested in using physical and virtual spaces to communicate more effectively. Each weekly episode contains useful and actionable advice from industry experts. It is available on all podcast platforms.
Title: Ep. 7 Using technology with bring museum collections to life
Guest: Dr Paul Collins, Jaleh Hearn Curator for Ancient Near East, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Description: In this episode we discuss the redevelopment of the Ancient Middle East gallery at the Ashmolean Museum, and how technology can be used to increase access to objects and ancient cultures.
Key Takeaways:
- Technology helps us to increase access to museum collections
- Technology helps to communicate academic research
- Museum collections are not static
Time codes
1.33 OPENING QUESTION: What do you think is the most important piece of tech in the workspace, and why?
2.07 What is a curator, and what do they do?
3.01 Deciding what museum collections to present to visitors and how
4.51 The redevelopment of the Ancient Middle East gallery- an overview
7.55 The new digital introduction to the gallery
9.52 Report on the gallery redevelopment
11.18 Paul’s favourite parts of the gallery redevelopment
14.21 Interactive pods- Cuneiform writing and the Sumerian language
16.52 Bringing a dead language to life
18.45 A flexible gallery design to allow for future changes
21.32 Future plans for the gallery- increasing access for non-English speakers
22.40 ‘Future-proofing’ the gallery
23.21 CLOSING QUESTION: What do you think will be the next big tech change in the workspace, and why?
25.35 Final thoughts
26.27 Contact details
27.21 Key takeaways
Episode related links
Listen to the Ashmolean podcast Fingerprints. Episode 4 is with Dr Paul Collins: A King from the Trenches
For more information on the Ancient Middle East gallery and its contents, visit the dedicated gallery webpage
Read the Reflex case study on the Middle East gallery redevelopment:
Dr Paul Collins contact details
You can view Paul’s biography, contact details, and list of publications here
About the Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean is the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology. It came into existence in 1682, when the wealthy antiquary Elias Ashmole gifted his collection to the University. It opened as Britain’s first public museum, and the world’s first university museum, in 1683.
The Ashmolean collections are world famous, ranging from Egyptian mummies to contemporary art, telling human stories across cultures and across time.
For more information on the Ashmolean, and planning your visit, go to the Ashmolean website.
