The Empty Museum

Name
Rotem Yitzhak Soaye
Education degree
Kandidat
Institute
Visual Design
Program
Graphic Communication Design
Year
2021

The crimes of Western colonialism still affect us today. Years of occupation, exploitation and plunder have left behind ruins and unhealed wounds. Museums are not innocent. By refusing to return stolen artefacts, they take an active part in the crime. In the project, I speculated what will the decolonized British Museum look like in 2033, after it returns all the looted objects in its collections.

COLONIALISM AND SHAME
Text by Oscar Rickett. Explains the shame and pride that many UK residents feel towards their colonial past and the reason for the UK's refusal in admitting the crimes of the British Empire.



OPEN THEORY
Empty the Museum, Decolonize the Curriculum, Open Theory by Nicholas Mirzoeff.
The article explains in length the necessity of decolonization and how the museum in its existent format is a threaten to non-white populations as it also details the scope of
the problem.

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LOOTED BEAUTY
Text by Abby Zief. The assay explains the decolonization and restoration of objects from museums around the world. It details some cases of restitution claims and how the stolen items were returned.

REPATRIATION OF CHINESE ARTEFACTS
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SELECTED CHINESE ART WORKS

This booklet focuses on a specific case of repatriation of Chinese artefacts.
Next to the booklet, there is a catalogue of a selection of returned items, detailing when they were stolen, when they were returned and where in the world they are displayed today.

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A 2 meter long folding scroll format. The booklet describes the process of decolonization of the museum and how they did it. On the back side, there is a list of all the countries from which objects were stolen and how many were repatriated.

The British Museum as a Crime Scene
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All printed materials

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The Royal Danish Academy supports the Sustainable Development Goals

Since 2017 the Royal Danish Academy has worked with the Sustainable Development Goals. This is reflected in our research, our teaching and in our students’ projects. This project relates to the following UN goal(-s)
CV