Constructing Meaning
Existing research has long established that museums, by constructing new meanings for the cultural artefacts they collect, participate in the regeneration of artistic or anthropological traditions. However, scholars did not provide complete details on the processes through which meanings are being constructed. Exhibitions designed by contemporary artists and architects allow us to unveil these processes. Based on empirical research carried out in France and Canada, we demonstrate that some museums have become « laboratories of social semantic », which we define as spaces of experimentation and co-production of meaning with the audience. These laboratories rely upon the mechanisms of morphogenesis to generate new interpretations. By doing so, museum institutions gain a growing legitimacy within the creative industries and the knowledge economy.