A Museological Approach: Radio as Immaterial Heritage

Abstract

Radio is a major part of our media heritage, but it is seldom featured in exhibitions or as part of museum collections. Museums traditionally operate with a material concept of artefacts, but with the advent of electronic and digital media the need for a broader concept to accommodate intangible forms of heritage, such as radio, has become apparent. This article outlines the challenges of conceptualising the sounds of radio as artefacts of cultural heritage to be exhibited in a museological context. These challenges range from the purely theoreti- cal matter of delineating intangible artefacts to more practical and methodological concerns about presenting these kinds of artefacts in exhibitions. An appreciative understanding of radio heritage calls for didactic strategies for bridging the knowledge gap that exists between the majority of modern audiences and the historic radio material. This article proposes possible responses to this challenge based on insights from learning and design theories.