博物之島 MUSEUMS

Author: Hsieh, Shih-yuan（Associate Professor, Department of History, National Cheng Kung University） Tainan, home to Taiwan's earliest developed city, holds a unique position with over 400 years of historical significance and cultural depth. The Tainan City Museum (referred to as "South Museum") reopened in December 2023, presenting not only the "Our Story" narrative in its permanent exhibition but also hosting special exhibitions to spark discussions on new topics. These exhibitions explore the past, present, and future of Tainan’s culture and daily life. After extensive consultations, the museum has developed a thematic framework for its special exhibitions: the "Special Life Stories" series delves into the multifaceted dimensions of Tainan’s way of life, focusing on human-centered experiences; the "Viewing the World" series examines Tainan’s connections with the global community and encounters with other cultures; the "Local Histories" series investigates the interactions and operational mechanisms of local societies; and finally, the "Future Vision" series addresses contemporary issues such as cultural preservation and creative cultural initiatives, reflecting aspirations and visions for the future.   The entrance imagery of the Special Life Stories series exhibition Grocery Stores.   Opening Special Exhibition: Grocery Stores The South Museum marked its reopening with the "Special Life Stories" series exhibition titled Grocery Stores (exhibition period: December 22, 2023 – June 2, 2024). Centered on grocery stores, the exhibition explores topics such as "The Evolution of the Old Grocery Stores," "Merchandise Featuring Tainan," "Be Your Own CEO," and "Trading in Local Memories." By focusing on everyday life, the exhibition aims to challenge preconceived notions of grocery stores as outdated relics, reimagining them instead as the key gateways to understanding people and places. The exhibition explores how these self-managed retail stores, offering a diverse array of products, catered the varied shopping needs of different groups while serving as crucial hubs for the exchange of local information. Each grocery store has its unique characteristics, sheding lights on how globalization impacts the local economy and how local products adapt flexibly within grocery store networks. Additionally, the exhibition highlights the significant role of women as operators of these stores. Many female proprietors are not only self-reliant business owners but also manage their role as mothers and spouses. Through the lens of grocery stores, visitors can observe how these women skillfully navigate and balance their dual identities.     The exhibition highlights the work experiences and role transitions of female proprietors.   Grocery stores, as grassroots commercial mechanisms still present across Tainan, serve as an ideal theme for this special exhibition, offering a holistic perspective on the city’s social diversity. More importantly, the exhibition fosters collaboration among citizen from all walks of life to its creation. From the early stages of the museum's transformation, South Museum embraced a participatory approach. Starting in 2020, volunteers and students were invited to participate in an investigation of grocery stores, eventually engaging students from over ten schools across Tainan. These young participants explored grocery stores in all 37 administrative districts of the city. Through hands-on curatorial workshops, the public’s collaborative efforts were integrated into the exhibition, resulting in an experience built in partnership with the community. For Tainan’s younger generation, this investigation became an opportunity to rediscover their neighborhood grocery stores, prompting reflection on their relationship with the land and their identity within Tainan. Under the keen observations and records of these young participants, the cultural charm of Tainan was imbued with fresh, contemporary perspectives.     A glimpse of the Grocery Stores special exhibition.   Building and Expanding Collaborative Mechanisms Collaboration and co-creation are foundational to South Museum’s curatorial methodology. During its period of closure for renovations, the museum developed two key mechanisms to institutionalize the spirit of collaboration: "South Museum Investigators" and "Guest Curators." Established in 2021, the "South Museum Investigators" initiative engaged volunteers, high school students, and university students in thematic explorations facilitated by museum-led courses. Participants employed small, elegantly crafted display boxes as a medium to co-create exhibitions on topics ranging from the museum’s collections and grocery stores to educational history and Indigenous cultures. These micro-exhibitions have been showcased on platforms such as high schools, universities, museum festivals, and community exhibitions. The previously mentioned Grocery Stores special exhibition is also a direct result of the collaborative efforts of South Museum Investigators.     South Museum Investigators share their research findings through micro-exhibition boxes.   If "constructing history" is a process of negotiation, dialogue, and shared envisioning of the future, the South Museum Investigators program represents a crucial collaborative mechanism. It facilitates the construction of multicultural narratives, fosters public participation, embraces open interpretations, and drives the democratization of history. Simultaneously, it strengthens participants' connections to the society and relationships to the land.     Students from National Yujing Senior Vocational School of Technology and Commerce, as South Museum Investigators, explore their homeland in the foothills from various perspectives.   The "Guest Curators" initiative is another significant effort to leverage Tainan’s rich intellectual and cultural resources. Tainan is home to many scholars and independent experts who have conducted extensive research across diverse cultural domains. Through this program, South Museum invites experts from various fields to translate their specialized research into accessible and engaging presentations for the public. In 2022, South Museum invited historian and cultural researcher Zhang Yun-shu as its first Guest Curator. Zhang curated a micro-exhibition titled "Tainan Art: Private Cabinets in Local Inns" focused on craftsmanship. The exhibition was hosted across six local inns, illustrating the daily lives and cultural heritage of Tainan’s people through intimate and relatable narratives.     In Tainan Art: Private Cabinets in Local Inns, local innkeepers take on the role of curators to share Tainan’s unique cultural knowledge.   During the curatorial process, experts contribute their professional perspectives by creating exhibition scripts, while the museum shapes diverse viewpoints through its exhibitions. In this way, the "Guest Curators" initiative establishes a platform for collaborative expression, allowing external historical research communities to actively participate in curatorial endeavors. Consequently, the museum becomes an open stage for enriching the understanding of Tainan’s history from multiple perspectives. The Vision of South Museum In 2024, as Tainan marks its 400th anniversary, the vision for this cultural capital extends beyond mere preservation or revival of traditions. Instead, it seeks to foster social dialogue rooted in its rich historical and cultural heritage, shaping the city’s unique cultural identity, strengthening residents' sense of belonging, and collectively exploring the future of the city. For the reopened South Museum, the challenge is to leverage museum practices to realize this urban vision. This involves the effective application of museum technologies, including collection management, research, exhibition design, and educational programming, as well as seamless coordination between the museum's front-of-house and behind-the-scenes operations. Moreover, South Museum places significant emphasis on the participatory values of collaboration and dialogue, aligning with the contemporary vision of museums as platforms for social communication. The museum underscores that everyone is an integral part of preserving the history and culture of this ancient capital, and that diverse communities are both the agents of historical activities in the past and the architects of contemporary historical narratives. By fostering connections between the past and the present and emphasizing human agency, South Museum aims to collaboratively advance Tainan’s cultural vision. Underpinned by a solid foundation of museum techniques, the institution aspires to become a museum capable of social action and issue-driven discourse, playing a pivotal role in the city’s cultural and societal development. ❚ English Editor: Cheung, Billy Chi-Yiu （M.A., Graduate Institute of Museum Studies, TNUA）

作者：謝仕淵（臺南市文化局局長） 臺南這片土地上，有著臺灣最早發展的城市，具有超過400年的歷史特殊地位及文化深度。2023年12月重新開幕的臺南市立博物館（以下簡稱「南博」）不僅透過常設展呈現「我們的歷史」，也舉辦特展開啟新議題的討論，呈現臺南文化與常民生活的過去、現在與未來。經過多方諮詢，南博逐步設定出特展的議題：以「生活誌」系列展覽探索臺南生活的多元面向，關注以人為核心的豐富生活經驗；以「觀世界」系列展覽關注臺南與世界及異文化相遇的課題；以「地方史」系列展覽探討地方社會的互動與運作機制。最後，「未來式」系列展覽則關注各種當代議題，包括文化保存與文化創意行動等，呈現對未來的期待與想像。 自造臺南歷史：開箱臺南市立博物館（上） 生活誌系列特展「𥴊仔‧雜貨‧店」入口意象（圖片來源：宜東文化創意有限公司、臺南市立博物館）   開幕特展「𥴊仔・雜貨・店」 重新開幕的南博，舉辦生活誌系列特展「𥴊仔・雜貨・店」（展期：2023.12.22 ～2024.06.02）。展覽以雜貨店為主軸，透過「老雜進化論」、「商品中的臺南」、「自己的CEO」、「地方記憶的買賣」等議題，從日常生活切入，嘗試翻轉雜貨店的印象，不再將其視為不合時宜的陳舊產業，而是認識人群與地方的入口。 展覽探究雜貨店這種販售品項既雜且多的自營零售店，如何滿足不同人群的購物需求，成為在地資訊的重要傳遞節點。而每間雜貨店都有其獨特之處，可以從商品中窺見全球化對於地方經濟的影響，了解在地產品如何靈活地以雜貨店作為銷售網絡。另一方面，雜貨店中有不少女性經營者，她們不但是獨當一面的老闆，更同時相夫教子、身兼母職。以雜貨店作為切面，可以觀察這些女性如何在兩種身分間轉換游移。 展覽呈現女性經營者的工作經驗與身份轉換（圖片來源：宜東文化創意有限公司、臺南市立博物館）   雜貨店作為至今尚存於臺南各地的基層商業機制，以此作為特展主題，可以發展出對於臺南社會多元性的整體觀察，更重要的是，也得以邀請各地的市民朋友共同參與實作。博物館在轉型之初，便決定採取協作方式，自2020年起邀請志工與學生參與雜貨店調查，幾年來，共有超過十個學校的學生參與了這項計畫，探詢臺南37個行政區的雜貨店。透過實作策展課程，將公眾協作成果納入特展，成為與市民共構的展覽。對於臺南的新生代而言，調查成為重新認識附近雜貨店的契機，使他們反思臺南這塊土地與自己的關係。在年輕學子的記錄與觀察之下，也讓臺南的文化魅力，被賦予一些當代的新視野。 「𥴊仔‧雜貨‧店」特展一隅（圖片來源：宜東文化創意有限公司、臺南市立博物館）   協力機制的構建與開展 協力與自造是「南博」博物館方法的核心。在休館期間，南博發展出「南博特調員」與「客座策展人」等兩種方法，讓協力精神化為持續運作的機制。首先，南博透過「南博特調員」的行動，從2021年開始與志工、高中生、大學生合作，經由課程引導參與者探索議題，以小而美的微型展示箱為載體，共同完成策展行動。過去三年來，南博曾經以館藏文物、雜貨店、教育史乃至於原住民等議題進行策展，並在高中與大學、博物館節、社造成果展等不同的平台中展出。前述開幕特展也正是南博特調員共同努力的成果。 「開箱臺南」南博特調員以微型展示箱為載體分享調查成果（圖片來源：臺南市立博物館）   如果說，「歷史建構」是一段協商、對話並共尋未來的歷程，南博特調員就是重要的協力機制，藉此建構多元文化，引導公眾協作、開放詮釋，推動歷史公共化，同時也讓參與者建立起跟社會與土地之間更緊密的連結。 玉井工商學生化身南博特調員，從不同角度認識淺山家鄉（圖片來源：臺南市立博物館）   其次，臺南人文薈萃，許多學者及民間專家針對不同的文化領域做出豐厚的研究。南博透過「客座策展人」的機制，邀集臺南各領域的專家參與，將研究內容以易於理解的方式，轉譯並分享給社會大眾。2022年，南博首次邀請文史研究者張耘書擔任客座策展人，以工藝為題，推出「臺南藝宿私藏櫃」微型展示，並於六間在地民宿展出，呈現臺南常民生活軌跡。 「藝宿私藏櫃」民宿老闆化身策展人分享臺南在地知識（圖片來源：臺南市立博物館）   在策展的過程中，專家透過展示腳本的撰寫，向大眾提供專業的知識觀點；而博物館則藉由展覽，形構出多元立場。換言之，「客座策展人」建立起「一起發聲」的管道，讓館外的歷史研究社群共同參與策展行動，而博物館因此成為一個開放的平臺，豐富對臺南歷史的認識。 南博的願景 2024年正值「臺南400」之際，對文化古都臺南而言，其文化願景不僅是守舊與復古，而是在豐厚的歷史與文化基礎上開展社會對話，進而形塑城市的文化特色，強化市民的認同感，共同探究城市的未來。因此，重新開館的「南博」，應思索如何依靠博物館實踐來追求城市願景，這必須依靠博物館技術產生實質的作用，涉及典藏研究與展示教育等博物館技術的開展，也是博物館前後台如何搭配運作的基本功。 再者，南博重視協作、對話等參與性價值，與當代博物館定位為社會溝通平台的理念相互呼應。南博強調每個人都是文化古都保存歷史與文化的一份子，而不同社群是過去歷史活動與當代歷史建構的主體。應讓過去與當代彼此呼應，並且強調人在其中的能動性，進而在博物館技術成熟的條件下，共同推動城市文化願景的實現，讓「南博」成為一座具有社會行動與議題論述等能力的博物館。 （執行編輯：黃淥）