Människan om museiföremål

HUMAN AS A MUSEUM OBJECT

Challenging the Colonial Heritage of the Museum of the Mediterranean: Conversation I

As part of the project Bringing objects to life and challenging the colonial histories of museums

A conversation about the view of human remains in museums and people as museum objects. The conversation takes place between Egyptian artist Sara Sallam, researcher and historian of ideas Linda Andersson Burnett and Sofia Häggman, Egyptologist and curator at the Museum of Mediterranean.

With the project "Bringing objects to life and challenging the colonial histories of museums", museums explore their history and role in the world of colonialism. The project is based on two research projects funded by the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond , Colonial Objects (Mårten Snickare) and Humanity's Limits (Linda Andersson Burnett). The research clarifies how collection and early modern science are interwoven with colonial history. Bringing the objects to life wants to have conversations about these issues, both with visitors and with the groups that represent the collections' original context.

Sara Sallam (b. 1991) is an Egyptian artist, designer, writer, visual researcher, book maker, and educator based in the Netherlands. Her research-based practice includes photography, moving images, writing, voice narration, archival interventions, and self-publishing handmade books. Through her work, she reflects on growing up in Egypt, criticising the colonial attitudes embedded in archaeology, museum practices, and photographic archives that prevent Egyptians from relating to their past and ancestors. She focuses on the retelling of history by imagining counter-narratives and exploring fiction and temporal juxtapositions as ways to reclaim and decolonise her Egyptian heritage.