‘Absent Objects’: How Displaying Absence Creates Opportunities For Storytelling and Engagement

Abstract

As institutions that hold the power to shape the stories that we tell, anthropology museums must increasingly face the presence of absence within their collections and how best to work with this absence. This paper explores the possibilities of exhibiting absence for storytelling and engagement by analyzing several museum case studies. It examines how different methods of displaying absent objects, stories, and voices can lead to varying impacts on museum visitors, community members, and museums themselves. This article proposes that meaningful collaboration with community members and museum visitors can positively shape a museum’s display of absence, creating opportunities for more intentional reflection and engagement. It concludes by asserting that the display of absent objects calls attention to the messages that a museum hopes to convey and also reflects the larger outcomes that the museum seeks to achieve through its display practices.