say it with pie

Final week of school: I am writing a paper for my museum studies class.

Just finished re-reading Duncan F. Cameron's, "The Museum, a Temple or the Forum?," an article that has influenced curators and museum professionals since 1971. In the article, he asks, what is a museum? It's a harder question than you'd think.

More on how this all relates to my new spice rack behind the cut...

One of the things Cameron says about museums is that they are symptomatic of a universal collecting behavior. Ever notice that children collect seashells and rocks for their bookshelves, teenagers endlessly rearrange their rooms, and the elderly fill their houses with knick-knacks and mementos? That's the collecting behavior at work.

The collecting and rearrangement of personal objects, Cameron argues, is a way that people create meaningful relationships between themselves and their environment. As certain relationships become familiar, the individual will collect and arrange in new ways to further enrich their understanding of reality. Eventually, the individual's sophisticated understanding of reality will cause them to enshrine the objects which best reflect the values they employed to gain that understanding. Hence, the private collection and—as private collections became public institutions—the museum. Long story short.

"Next time you have the opportunity, take a thoughtful look at the objects that are arranged in your own house," challenges Cameron. "These structured collections will tell you something about the way in which the collector perceives reality."¹ As soon as I read this, my thoughts went immediately to my brand new spice rack, which is itself enshrined on this blog.

Although my apartment has wood floors and five appliances, my favourite thing about the place is the display wall of spices, oils, sauces, and dry goods in the kitchen. I pretend that it's purely functional—so I everything I need when cooking is no more than an arm's reach away—but secretly, it has taken me a year to get it looking this good.

In order to emphasize the good quality, organic, whole grain, healthful foods I cook with (which are a part of my identity and lifestyle, you know), I keep flour, rice, sugar, breadcrumbs, quinoa, and dried legumes in transparent mason jars. I pour 3 litre jugs of olive oil into a 1 litre olive oil pitcher. If you looked carefully enough, you might notice that I rank spices from left to right: left means flavours found in curry and Indian cooking, right means flavours found in Mediterranean cooking, so cumin sits in the middle. Pete can attest that I re-fill containers and rearrange them in new ways when I feel like procrastinating.

Yep, I curate my kitchen shelves. A shocking revelation courtesy of Duncan F. Cameron, ladies and gentlemen.

Why is the recognition that you comply with (supposed) universal behaviours always accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of shame? No wonder people sympathize with Nietzsche...aaaand science.

¹ Duncan F. Cameron, "The Museum, a Temple or the Forum?" (1971) in Reinventing the Museum [ed. Gail Anderson], 2004: 65.