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November 3, 2011 by Paul Smith

A visit to Manchester has helped me to crystallise why I feel so dissatisfied by the new museum at M Shed.

For those of you who don’t know the history. George Micklewright who has leader of the council around the turn of the millennium had long had a desire to have a museum in the city which told the story of its people. I think this was inspired, at least in part, by the peoples museum in Glasgow. I remember discussing it when I was Chair of Leisure in 1988/89 when trying to develop a long term home for the slavery exhibition.

MShed was the long awaited realisation of this vision. But it isn’t. On the ground floor it includes some sadly glib and almost mythological descriptions of some of Bristol’s communities and on the upper floor an almost random selection of items, some interesting some just appearing to fill a space – giving the impression of an old style junk shop.

Last Saturday I visited the People’s history museum in Manchester (when I went to the one in Glasgow it was closed). Now I know that this museum has an agenda to tell a story of the struggle for freedom and equality of working people. We don’t want a replica of this in Bristol. However what it does do is tell a range of those stories through the centuries as a chronological narrative. For me history is not about a few interesting snippets but it is about how changes and developments build upon eachother over time, recreating a journey which provides a rationale for why we are where we are now. (I have a similar concern about history in primary schools which seems to be about randomly selected periods in history rather than a flow).

I found MShed deeply disappointing and I know that I am not alone

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bristol, History, mshed, Museums | 9 Comments

9 Responses

on November 3, 2011 at 9:20 pm | Reply Mick Dickinson (@MickDickinson)

Yeah I know what you mean, I went for the first time recently and was disappointed… in a way that I couldn’t put my finger on. Amazing light in the room at the top on the dockside. The Martin Parr photos were brilliant though.
- on November 3, 2011 at 10:20 pm | Reply bristolwestpaul
  
  I’m not saying there aren’t good or interesting things there, just that it is incoherent
on November 3, 2011 at 10:07 pm | Reply thebristolblogger

A few years ago I reposted on my blog a comment made on the Festival of Ideas site from someone called Tetchy Steve. It’s about ‘The Second Museum of Bristol Lecture: the Historian and the City’ delivered by government Heritage bureaucrat Adrian Tinniswood.

It’s worth the read:

The trouble with this talk was that the speaker seemed not to recognise any meaningful distinction between history and heritage. Obsessing about the democracy of ‘memory’ and asserting that the role of the historian is to celebrate the rich diversity of the past is just the sort of meaningless and cosy twaddle that gives history a bad name. The cacophony of past voices Tinniswood urges us to celebrate does not, of itself, constitute a history of anything, although it may have some claim on the term ‘heritage’.

Voices are the raw materials from which histories are constructed, but they come to us mediated by issues of power and agency. Sources are one thing; making history is another. Historians recognise and tackle issues of power and agency and try to interpret events as consequences. They are not simply tools of urban social cohesion, keepers of the keys to progressive shared identity, or facilitators of even-handed generalisations. The historian does not go to work each morning to make us all feel good about ourselves by suggesting that all voices are equally weighted and equally valid.

Tinniswood spent some time showing us pictures of Bristol’s architecture and urging us to consider it not only ‘wonderful’ and something with which to collectively identify, but somehow untainted by past associations with grandiose self-congratulation. To consolidate this ‘Idea’, he introduced a few cheap hits against the architecture of fascist and stalinst authoritarianism. Yes, that’s right; Bristol’s architecture is smaller. Yet to suggest that Charles Dyer’s pompous neo-Grecian Victoria Rooms are somehow unconnected to the promotion of an elite-led civic vision and that they should be read without any reference to the uneven power relations encoded in their design is just plain daft. Or rather, it’s unhistorical.

Rather than introduce a single challenging notion about the relationship between the Historian and the City, Tinniswood’s objective appeared to be the construction of a bland intellectual forum in which legions of happy Bristolians, undivided by class, ethnicity or gender, might cohesiviely celebrate their heritage and identity in a blissful cacophony of unmediated joy. Dare we hope that this is not also the objective of the new Museum planners who sponsored his talk?

tetchy steve
16 May 2008, 08:47
- on November 3, 2011 at 10:21 pm | Reply bristolwestpaul
  
  Thanks for that, interesting and perceptive
on November 4, 2011 at 7:14 am | Reply Alison Downs

Great to hear of your current interests in Bristol and afar. Not only do I remember you and your family in Whitchurch Park Ward after I came back from Devonport when Dr David Owen was my MP but I associate you with free admission for Bristols Museums . I am very unhappy with the development of the City Docks in general particular the expense and ideas of creation of ‘ M ‘ Shed that was its original name when it was at the centre of a working commercial dock . Even my last memory before it was closed to become what we pay for now in local council tax and admission it hosted ‘Up the Feeder Down The Mouth’ where a ship was used in the play and the large doors were open to enable the ship to play its part with the docker actors. Now you cant even get the double decker out that is now trapped inside and which I now have memories of riding in it during its last bus rally from RR car park azround town and reminded me of the 145 school days bus from ‘Shire’ to Lawrence Weston School. I shall Be interested to discuss our views on Manchester particularly Salford and its museums and relocation of BBC as I have family connections in the area and have stayed at Uni accomodation in Salford in the past. Would like some advice in dealing with Steve Webb as he is currently Minister for DWP and MP for Yate and Thornbury and I have been told by staff to inform my MP about the appalling situation for people in the process of bein g converted from Income Support with Health to either JSA or ESA a decision made set up and then changed to other etc. In 2 years DLA receipiants will have to go through a similar balls up on top off that an ex civil servant like myself who will be 60 next May will not get my State Pension or OAP Bus Pass
P.S. My ex colleague still in MOD at Devonport agreed with me that there should be a by election and THEY can lose Liam Fox seat in North Somerset and start the trend for By Elections causing the Coalition to fail and the Country gets a chance through Democracy to help the poor sick and those who dreamed of an ideal retirement like my Dad who knew the working M shed as a Customs Officer and died at 63 ! no statistics fit my family history lolI I was on board the Norwegian ship Stalheim where the Balmoral and Waverley do This ship carried wood pulp for St Annes Board Mills to convert. I was also one of the last visitors to go on board Concorde at its static display at Filton and I have seen the one at Paris and Manchester and of course Avon Wards Mayor a family friend Vic Pople worked at Filton and his wifes village Charlton was destroyed to make way for the runway for the Brabazon. Its obvious you know Dawn is our MP for Inns Court but as she is in Opposition at the moment she naturally will get copies of my actions in trying to help and support those by their very situation are being hit by this so called Welfare State that our parents help set up particularly post WW11 and thank God neither of mine are alive to see it destroyed. The staff dealing with my compulsory application are complaining they cant cope in Plymouth and are going on strike I was in MODNavy when there was a strike in 1979 and I dont get any works pension for my time in Motor Tax or PSA and on return to Bristol with a 2 year old paying my own childcare I worked 5 years becoming a single parent at the BRI and will have no “works” pension from them either . Last year when THEY had plans to demolish my ideal bungalow in Redevelopment of Inns Court. I went to all the public meetings and voiced my opinions to my opinions to my then GP he said ” you are an activist, keep going ” He moved to Charlotte Keel, I cracked up and had my first admission to Callington Road Hospital which I had a hand in some of the planning at meetings Barrow Hospital. Pleased to have your Mum as friend on Facebook been trying to trace Denise was Elliot last visited her with Stuart at Bevington Walk Patchway Helen Holland tried to help me That last time I went to see them was with your Mum from Hartcliffe I had tickets tosee thenew Rainbow Warrior in Dock at London but couldn’t make it !!
on November 4, 2011 at 12:43 pm | Reply Unclety Frootloop

Tinniswood’s objective appeared to be the construction of a bland intellectual forum in which legions of happy Bristolians, undivided by class, ethnicity or gender, might cohesiviely celebrate their heritage and identity in a blissful cacophony of unmediated joy.

The Nazis had a word for this – gleichschaltung!

IMHO, the worst thing that BCC and the Museums Service did was to close the old Industrial Museum.

No surprise there then!
on November 4, 2011 at 7:48 pm | Reply Thus Spake Zarathustra

I’ve never visited the M Shed and got the impression it was a load of cack. Paul’s experience sounds like it confirms my suspicions.

Isn’t the M Shed just a glaring example of Bristol’s cliché leadership, and disjointed and backward looking policies?
- on November 6, 2011 at 11:43 am | Reply Art of the Impossible
  
  Maybe the M Shed is an exercise in reflexivity; an ironic cultural metaphor for our times.
  
  Or maybe the hungry hordes of academic, bureaucratic and corporate functionaries just mindlessly chewed up a great old museum while drinking down £27m of lubrication and then spat out what was left onto the Harbourside.
  - on November 6, 2011 at 6:29 pm Thus Spake Zarathustra
    
    Walks like a duck. Talks like a duck…
    
    Aaardman are threatening to do a Dyson. After losing the games industry, TV production, and now animation this ‘Creative Bristol’ wheeze isn’t going very well is it?
    
    Politicians are also too chicken to deal with currency values or tariffs, quotas, and unfair cost stripping of undeveloped economies. Heck, they can’t even produce a chart showing true taxation levels (including cost adjustments) to stop tax whoring dead in its tracks.
    
    Oh, found out Labour don’t have *any* form of transgender policy at all. Been casually invited to a meeting… *snore* Various degrees of ineptitude with the other parties.
    
    I do wonder if I might end up accidently taking this first directly elected mayor hottie transexual with a fuck-you yacht in the docks thing too far…