Introduction Moving Spaces: Rewriting Museology Through Practice

This introduction analyses the changing nature and use of space within the contemporary museum, and presents the series of essays that show how museums have been undergoing processes of radical transformation. It also clarifies that ‘museum space’ refers to the architectural dimension, but also to the role and functions that museums play in our societies. The introduction focuses on the changing nature of museums over the last twenty years, the nature of artworks, permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. Through the hosting of performance, dance and the use of an expanding number of new technologies, museums have become diversified and performative impacting on museological practices, especially curation and conservation, both in the galleries and online. The introduction frames from an historical and theoretical point of view these major changes and presents the case studies collected in the book.