It might be that I've been slow on the uptake, but I think this site is quite new (I'd not come across it recently in any case) and although galleries and museums have had an online commercial presence for some time, Culture Label seems to be a different creature. I don't want to offer a knee-jerk consumption-is-bad-for-culture argument, but it would help if their press section didn't say things like this:
CultureLabel.com offers you an edit of the finest culture products in one easy-to-shop boutique destination, satisfying your cravings for products with integrity, authenticity and inherent design quality [...] A bedrock driver of CultureLabel is enabling that direct connection between culture institutions and consumers - capitalising on entrepreneurial talent and approaches to help cultural endeavour to flourish.
A 'bedrock driver'? Sounds like a reference to the Flintstones. They also suggest that consumption is a way into culture, 'your journey might start with the shop but we want you to finish in the gallery or museum', which is the opposite of the bribe used by parents of bored children. Interestingly, the site is partnered with the MLA and Arts Council, which makes it harder to dismiss.
They obviously have not read Baudrillard....or maybe they have....and the 'Lack', (in the Baudrillardian sense), is the absense of the Museum...intriquing?
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