On the outside, the Tropenmuseum is ornate in construction and looks like any other anthropological museum—unassuming in nature. Even the interior screams quintessential museum. What I found extraordinary was the content and collections that were on display because many of the pieces in the museum were not usual museum items. While the Tropenmuseum did have things like colonial art and artifacts plundered from the Netherlands’ colonies, they also had a body pillow in the section about Japan, which was unexpected to say the least.
I liked the concept of what the Tropenmuseum wanted to strive for, but I think that it fell flat in its execution. It was quite jarring to go from the flashiness and gaudiness of the Cool Japan exhibit to the conservative and muted setting for the Mecca exhibit. It made very little sense to me that these two exhibits should be put anywhere close to one another because their goals seem completely different. The Cool Japan exhibit wanted to show off the things that the international community liked about Japan and the phenomenon that has taken over the minds of many all over the world to get them so interested in Japan in the first place. On the other hand, the exhibit on the Hajj and Mecca wanted to highlight to people what a profound and important process that the Hajj is for Muslims. I cannot say for sure but—to me—it seems insensitive to put an exhibit about cool things from Japan where everything is a little over the top next to an exhibit about the most important spiritual and physical journey a Muslim can experience.
The Tropenmuseum is innovative because it had to have a large paradigmatic shift after it was no longer a museum for the Netherlands’ colonial conquests. It had to rebrand while still only having the colonial artifacts that Dutch colonials stole from native lands.
The other site visit we had today was to OBA, Amsterdam Public Library. Coming from a place with little knowledge about library sector, I knew not what to expect. Walking through its large, revolving door, I was impressed with not just the size of the library but also by the amount of noise I could hear coming from inside. I think that it has been ingrained in us since children that libraries are supposed to be quiet spaces. I guess that shows just how long I have not stepped foot into a public library.
The presentation about the online aspect of the library was the most interesting to me because when I think about a library, a strong online presence does not come to mind. I like how they were evolving their website to a more modern look and appealing to certain demographics with a redesign of its layout (children, elderly, etc.). After the presentations it made so much more sense to me that public libraries are not only about providing somewhere to get books, it's about creating a safe space for anyone to do work or just about anything while also offering a plethora of media to check out.
There were things that were surprising for me to see at the library at first but made so much sense after giving it some thought, such as the food court area. In my mind, the library boils down to be a place of learning for everyone, not just students at a school, and learning is very difficult without first fulfilling basic needs like hunger. Everything at OBA all contributed to a richer place for productivity and learning for anyone. I think that is the real innovation for OBA.
The Tropenmuseum