Awe in the museum: casting light on the role of the curator

Abstract

ABSTRACT Most discussions of awe in psychology and philosophy refer to experiences of this emotion occurring in museums; however these discussions tend to focus solely on the exhibit (e.g., the art masterpiece) as the emotion elicitor, overlooking the spatial context of the exhibition – hence overlooking the role and agency of the curator. Engaging with this oversight, I argue that curatorial intervention is crucial to emotion elicitation in museums and should be accounted for in analyses of awe in these spaces. I substantiate this argument by engaging with interdisciplinary theory on awe, and showing how curatorial intervention can act on awe determinants: vastness and the need for accommodation, and connected states of attention. The aim is to cast light on the role of the curatorial in experiences of awe in museums, and through that, contribute to a better understanding of this emotion in the fields of museum studies and museum practice.