Röhsska Backstage
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The Röhsska museum in Gothenburg has recently launched a new work method, Backstage, that is studied and paralleled to the museums permanent exhibition on Japanese design. In Backstage the museums routine work is executed in full view of the museums visitors in an exhibition area. The study has focused on the museums intentions and the visitors? interpretations in Backstage and Japanese design, as well as the staff?s experience of the work method?s public aspects. The study?s empirical material has been collected through interviews with the museum staff as well as observations and interviews with visitors in both Backstage and Japanese design. The study?s objective has been to attain information that is useful to the museum and the future development of the project. The results indicate that the conservator acts as a medium in Backstage and was given precedence over both artifacts and text as the preferred way of gaining information. The public aspects of the work method did not have a pronounced influence on the museum staff, although some apprehensiveness was noticeable. A similar hesitation has been noticed in the visitors and was observed as a threshold to entering the exhibition area.