Some exhibitions and new displays create lots of waste. So museums are increasingly aware of the role they have to play in dealing with that. At Manchester Museum, John Miller and Robert O’Conner have developed their own approach to creating a circle from the exhibition, to exhibition changeover, and back to the museum workshop, reusing materials in any way they can.
Holding different exhibitions and displays means that museums are often left with structures (结构体) that won’t be used again. At the end of an exhibition, John and Robert carefully take down and cut all materials into workable units, ready to be reused wherever needed. When Pinc College based at Manchester Museum needed new classrooms, the workshop team were able to use completely recycled materials to build them.
While it’s easy to think of new as being better, reusing materials doesn’t mean you can’t create beautiful displays. Last year, the museum placed Illuminating Nature, a surprising window display showing some objects under UV light. Almost every part of it was reused. The only thing that needed to be bought was the UV lights, proving you don’t need to spend much to create something impressive.
No matter how many materials you try to reuse there will always be something left over. Why not keep an eye out for charities or local groups who would welcome a donation? As with many museums, paint is often bought for an exhibition. And there will be a few extra cans left over. Manchester Museum usually takes them to Betel UK, a charity that supports people losing their jobs. The paint is used by Betel UK in their workshops for people to learn special skills and then refresh furniture (家具) which is then sold in their shops.
The impressive efforts of John and Robert are a shining example of a museum team that is establishing best practices and proving its determination to build a greener world. Their work inspires other teams to move away from the growth-model thinking that’s been influential in museums for the past twenty years.
【小题1】What are John and Robert trying to do?| A．Put on exhibitions on waste problems. |
| B．Improve people’s interest in traditional art. |
| C．Turn exhibition waste into something useful. |
| D．Change people’s attitudes to museum exhibitions. |
| A．To advertise the beautiful exhibition. |
| B．To teach people to use UV lights properly. |
| C．To show a successful case of material reuse. |
| D．To encourage people to enjoy the beauty of nature. |
| A．By storing it away for future use. |
| B．By selling it to local people at a low price. |
| C．By using it to decorate the museum again. |
| D．By donating it to an organization in need of support. |
| A．Their effectiveness has been questioned by other museums. |
| B．They provide new ideas for the development of museums. |
| C．They inspire more artists to hold creative exhibitions. |
| D．Their limitations have been well removed. |
