Culture Label

Hi All,
just in case you never take a look at the 'Comments' sections of the blog , Simon, one of the Founders of 'Culture Label', has very kindly taken the time to post a really interesting response to the Museums and Consumption thread...do take a look....thank you Simon for taking time to post, we now know that the audience for our little Blog is growing....!

Mark

Museum Shops and 'cultural products'

The Guardian reported yesterday (see the full article here) that museum shops are recording increased takings this year, although it only mentions National Trust properties, the Natural History Museum and the V&A. The article mentions the weakness of the pound and internal tourism as factors, alongside the perception that the products are imbued with a nebulous 'cultural value' (see illustration for the strongest argument I can think of against this idea). Culture Label is also referred to, its founder is quoted as having said that the site 'is a response to the "post-consumer" need to connect with the products we buy'. I think they have read Baudrillard!

The Museum Shop... without the museum?

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.