The Museum Of , temporary museum project

The Museum Of was a series of temporary "museums" housed in the Bargehouse building at Oxo Tower Wharf on London's South Bank; a building owned by the Coin Street Community Builders that had been derelict for the previous forty years. Beginning in October 1998 and ending in July 2001, The Museum Of ran five temporary "Museum" projects: The Museum of Collectors (Nov 1998 - Mar 1999), The Museum of Me (May 1999 - Oct 1999), The Museum of Emotions (Feb 2000 - Jun 2000), The Museum of the Unknown (Oct 2000 - Feb 2001) and The Museum of The River Thames (Mar 2001 - Jul 2001). The aim was to explore and question the place of museums in our culture, our experience of them and what we might want from them in the future. The project also aimed to encourage new audiences, commission new work, animate the building and surrounding area and create possibilites for innovative collaboration and partnership with a lasting legacy.

The core values of The Museum Of:
Question - At the heart of The Museum Of's concept lies a question about museums. What is a museum? Why do we visit? What do we want from a "museum" experience?
Participation - The five temporary "museum" projects that made up The Museum Of involved the participation of a broad range of people both in the creative process, as visitors to the museums and as decision makers, shaping the future of the project and regeneration of the area. The project encompassed the ideas and aspirations of people who lived and worked in the area together with local schools, colleges, arts and business organisations. Participation in the project and access to the museum was free.
Innovation - The Museum Of commissioned new work, created new partnerships and encouraged new audiences. The work explored and challenged our relationship with museums and culture in a different way from a "traditional" arts event and animated the interior and exterior of a disused building.
Collaboration - Each "museum" invited the contribution of artists, performers, local people, museum professionals, anthropologists, businesses, schools and audience members. Since the launch of the project The Museum Of has collaborated with: The Central School of Speech and Drama, The Horniman Museum, University College London, The Social Sculpture Unit at Oxford Brookes University, The Poetry Society, Wimbledon School of Art, The London Contemporary Dance School, Scarabeus Theatre Company, Primitive Science Theatre Company, Shunt Theatre Company, Crazy Horse Theatre Company, The London School of Fashion, The Actors Centre, Trinity College of Music, and numerous residents and business people.

The Museum Of has received support from: Coin Street Community Builders, The South Bank Employers Group, Erco lighting, Mills and Allen, The Poetry Society, The Body Shop, The Sirat Trust, The Arts Council of England, NESTA, London Arts, Bloomberg and Thames Water.