Salsa Sakinah

(she/her)

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

Amidst the global climate and environmental crisis, there is a growing discussion about museum activism, which emphasises that museums, with their authority and resources to construct society’s norms and values, have the power and potential to bring a broader socio-political and environmental mission. 

My research examines the way museums stage the climate crisis and environmental sustainability through exhibitions, how visitors engage with and respond to these exhibitions, and how visitors subsequently restage the climate crisis and environmental sustainability issues within the broader context of their lives. My research focuses on the context of Indonesian museums to extend the knowledge from a Global South perspective.

Thesis

'How does the exhibit change you?' Exploring the potential use of in-gallery digital interactive to foster visitors' transformation and bring a broader impact in society

There are a lot of challenges but also opportunities related to the use of digital media in museums as museums and heritage sites are strongly excited to develop and use digital technology to gain more awareness from their audiences and deliver better visitor experience. On the other side, there is a growing discussion about museum activism, who emphasises that museum – with its authority and resources to construct society’s norms and values – has the power and potential to bring a broader socio-political and environmental mission.

My proposed research is meant to be situated in the intersection between the use of digital media in museum and museum activism, by specifically exploring how visitors’ engagement with the in-gallery digitally-mediated experience in museum play a part to achieve the museum activism idea. This research will focus on climate/environmental activism, as the museum-world is now giving more attention to this issue (such as reflected on the theme of the International Museum Day 2023, courses offered by Museum Association, etc.), but there is still relatively little empirical research about museum and climate activism (compared to the museum and social justice activism). This research will use case studies from Indonesia because most of the existing study about climate change’s representation in museums comes from the Northern and Southern hemisphere (Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand), and very little comes from the equatorial perspective such as Indonesia.

Funding sources

Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Republic of Indonesia

Teaching

Seminar tutor (2025/2026):

• Autumn term: History of Mass Communication and Culture (first-year undergraduate module)

Seminar tutor (2024/2025):

• Autumn term: History of Mass Communication and Culture (first-year undergraduate module)
• Spring term: An Introduction to Media Audiences (first-year undergraduate module)

Seminar tutor (2023/2024):

• Autumn term: Advertising and Consumer Society (first-year undergraduate module)
• Spring term: An Introduction to Media Audiences (first-year undergraduate module)

Supervisors

Jenny Kidd

Reader in Digital Culture, and Director of Research (Development and Environment)

Caitriona Noonan

Reader in Media and Communication