A History of the World in 100 Objects
Basse-Yutz Flagons (centre), Episode 28
I am in love with A History of the World in 100 Objects, a new radio programme produced through a partnership between BBC 4 and the British Museum! It’s already 28 episodes in, but you can still catch up by downloading the podcast free from iTunes.
A History of the World in 100 Objects is written and narrated by Neil MacGregor, the Director of the British Museum, who opts for a personal rather than a didactic narrative style, which is quite engaging. He doesn’t present the objects chronologically, but selects them for their ability to illustrate a specific development in history. MacGregor’s casual tone humanizes the museum, which is typically associated with elite knowledge and status, and in turn humanizes himself, the museum director or “keeper of the keys”. It also encourages listeners to consider how objects relate to their own lives and join in on the meaning-making.
I really enjoy the multi-disciplinary aspect of the show as well. Pop-culture celebrities like Bob Geldof and Michael Palin make appearances alongside academic celebrities like archaeologist Ian Hodder. One excellent contribution came from industrial designer Sir James Dyson who commented on the functionality of a 1.2-million-year-old hand axe from Olduvai Gorge. It’s funny because the day I bought a Dyson vaccum cleaner was one of the greatest technological developments in my personal history.
I’m especially exited about the program’s use of new media and digital technology. Historically, new media initiatives at museums have kind of sucked. Even in this Internet Age, most museum websites kind of suck. While the website for A History of the World in 100 Objects is a bit too Flash-y for my taste, it’s easily navigational and very interactive. There’s a ton of valuable content which can be added to by individuals or by other museums so the database is constantly growing. Over at BBC Kids, they’ve developed a TV game show called “Relic: Guardians of the Museum” which you can play online as well (it’s super nerdy and cool, btw). And then there’s the fact that the podcast gets delivered automatically to my iPhone every day. Amazing!
A History of the World in 100 Objects is setting a great example for other institutions to explore new media initiatives. I’m talking high-calibre projects, not just setting up an intern with a twitter account. Of course, it will be a tough act to follow: there are not many museums as well-funded as the British Museum and few have affiliations with monolithic media networks like the BBC. But I’m hoping this is a turning point in the use of new media for museum outreach.