Culture Talks

After years of waiting for the Grand Egyptian Museum to open, I finally got to step inside last month. This happened during my visit to Cairo. As a dedicated museum professional, I will share my unique perspective on my visit. This will offer a fresh take on this newly opened institution. I will focus on the overall experience, museum layout, nation on display, effectiveness of display and accessibility.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE and MUSEUM LAYOUT

The landscape created an awe-inspiring atmosphere as we drove to the museum parking lot. The Giza pyramid complex was behind the Grand Egyptian Museum. I see two of the three pyramids from the road. In the other direction, I walked up to the payment counters, which were fast and not too busy. At this time in the hot summer, only about 20 people were waiting in the lines.

We were informed that only one gallery area was open now due to the other galleries still in progress, which I did not mind. For a first visit, it is important not to feel overwhelmed or fatigued. In contrast, visiting museums with multiple galleries makes visitors rush to see it all, and museum fatigue sets in.

The museum building is truly a marvel. Its sheer size and grandeur left me in awe as I approached the entrance. I couldn’t help but think this building could be equated to a modern pyramid. The need for a lot of space should not be surprising, as anyone with access to the news will see how often cultural belongings/artifacts are unearthed in Egypt and how many repatriations happen yearly. [As a side note, I am very interested in how many cultural belongings/artifacts have been repatriated from other museums and private collections back in Egypt.]

Inside, the natural and artificial lighting created more awe, as now there is an 11-meter-tall statue of Ramesses II surrounded by water. The main hall has high ceilings, shops, cafes, and restaurants on one side and small statues on stairs leading to the open gallery. From the entrance, I can’t see how high those stairs go on the left-hand side from the entrance. It is very peaceful inside, and I wonder if it is because everyone’s jaw has dropped. I imagine that in the future, this hall will be packed with tourists when it is fully open.

An optional tour guide included in the ticket price is a fantastic perk! In my experience of visiting museums worldwide, this is a rare option. Still, I choose to wander around alone as I like to read all the displays and walk around slowly. Next time, I will ask for a museum guide.

On the left-hand side of the entrance hall, there are several display areas, two for statues and a dynasty hieroglyphic display. The display of different kinds of statues goes up the stairs, and at the top, there is an astonishing view of the pyramids. It makes the trek even more worth it, but don’t worry; you can take the travelator if you’d prefer. The selected statues had a variety of stone types and styles. These were often highlighted by the connections with others in the world. They were also highlighted by beliefs held by the ancient Egyptians.

In my experience visiting museums around the world, I have noticed something. There is rarely a decent coffee shop or restaurant available. If there is one, it is usually severely overpriced for very mediocre food/coffee. The visitor wants a break after hours of walking and enjoying the museum. The local restaurants and cafes are excellent, and the food and coffee are amazing. This is all part of the museum experience, and the Grand Egyptian Museum created excellent planning for this.

THE NATION ON DISPLAY

The Grand Egyptian Museum is a national historical museum. These national historical museums are essential places within their country to share their history. Due to the structure and display of this museum in one of the most highly touristed places in the world, I would expect that the main visitors would be tourists. The museum is in one of the most touristed places in the world. Because of this, I would expect the main visitors to be tourists. At the time of my visit, I would guess most of the people there at the time as me were tourists. But, I imagine this institution would be used for educational programming with local schools.

ACCESSIBILITY

Upon visiting a large grand museum, one should expect considerable walking, and this museum is no different. From the parking lot to the top of the opened gallery with many stairs to see all the cultural belonging/artifacts laid out on display, though, a travelator can reach the top of this up-hill gallery room and make stops along the way. I think this was an excellent addition to increase accessibility, but it will not allow access to all parts of this gallery for those who not be able to go up the steps between the travelator stops.

All the statues in the hall have labels in several languages, with more significant texts in English and Arabic. I enjoyed the addition of the map on the labels to show where the cultural belonging/artifact was found. Everything was straightforward to read. The path for the display is not self-guided but instead follows a sequence.

Midway through the exhibit, there is a 3D-printed statue touching station with braille for the seeing impaired. Incorporating a 3D-printed cultural belongings station into the exhibit gives the visitor another learning experience through touch (tactile). I believe that all visitors can benefit from these learning materials. It can also give our younger visitors a break, as most have been trying to control themselves by not touching all the cultural belongings they have seen thus far!

I noticed a children’s area that seemed to be in the stages of development. I am so happy to see the effort to engage younger visitors; however, in my experience, those activity rooms are enjoyable for everyone. Incorporating play makes learning more fun and can make the experience enjoyable for all kinds of visitors.

SUMMARY

This national historical museum has dramatic settings, atmospheres, and landscapes that will amaze you. It has not fully opened, but from what I can see, it seems to have a traditional guided structure.

Since the museum has not fully opened, I must return for the whole experience. In the meantime, I have given a commentary on the ambiance, accessibility, and effectiveness of the display.

Here are my highlights:

The museum ambiance
The construction of a new reality through the location, architecture, lighting, and cultural belongings/artifacts
3D-printed tactile station
The maps next to the exhibit text that show where the cultural belonging/artifact was found
Finding out that the cafes and restaurants were terrific (30 North and Zooba).

It has been a long time coming, and I want to invite you to my field(LIFE) journal, a visual lab that shows the genuine visual representation of my life journey and experiences as an Indigenous visual anthropologist living abroad (currently in Qatar).

An introduction about me and what I do:

Firstly, I am a Canadian who identifies as Indigenous (Seabird Island First Nation) and British. I am married to an Egyptian/Canadian man and a mother to a toddler. I grew up on central Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. I spent a few years at Vancouver Island University (VIU) studying to become a teacher (among other dabbles into all subjects such as anthropology), then spent many years in Gothenburg, Sweden studying Swedish, Archaeology, and Geology. I realized that I wanted to become an anthropologist. It was difficult to transfer all the anthropology courses from VIU as many European universities split anthropology into different subjects instead of all four: linguistics, socio-cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, and archaeology. It seemed complicated, and I did not want to study only one of those subjects and have an overly specific degree. I already thought it might not be easy to find jobs after graduation and, at the time, thought being more specific would narrow my chances even further. I decided to finish my degree at VIU in Anthropology since half of it was already finished. I dropped finishing my archaeology degree at the University of Gothenburg and moved back to Vancouver Island.

I finished my degree quickly, within 1.5 years, including two summers of field classes. I became very interested in visual and museum anthropology. I worked at a museum in my hometown a few summers before, and loved it. I ended up applying for a job at the Nanaimo Museum and learned so much about what it is like to work in a small-medium-sized museum. I worked there for more than two years, and it was eye-opening to see how much work it takes for one museum professional to remain relevant within this field and how much hard work is needed to maintain your position.

I felt it would be the best time to start a Master’s degree in Anthropology because I was hoping to move abroad again to learn another language and experience another culture. I was also intrigued to know how other museums in the world operated. I applied to UVIC’s Anthropology program with a concentration in Visual Anthropology. Upon being offered a new permanent position at the Nanaimo Museum, I was also offered a spot at UVIC. I was thrilled!

It was 2019, and I was starting my MA. I am still finishing my MA, and hopefully, if everything goes according to plan, I will defend in April. Covid made things difficult for everyone, including me. However, I became a mom during this time, moved to Calgary for six months, and then moved again, and I have been living in Doha, Qatar, for nearly a year!

I encouraged my husband to find a job in Doha so I could one day work at their museums. I had been stalking all the amazing-looking museums on Instagram and wondered what it would be like to work in one of those museums. I am not at that part in my journey yet. For now, I am visiting all the museums and finishing my MA.

Here are the project overview and research questions that I am working on for my MA thesis project:

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The primary purposes of this research project are: (1) to create an auto-ethnographic multimedia storybook about my experiences with Seabird Island First Nations archival history, personal reflections, and memories to educate and engage with readers in raising social awareness and reconciliation; (2) to use drawing as a research method to establish a personal connection with archival history and community.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This thesis project proposes to apply a combination of audio/visual, Indigenous storytelling, and arts-based research methods to analyze my personal experience, memories, and recollections as I connect with Seabird Island First Nation’s archival history. These research methods will result in creating multimedia graphic stories to educate and engage with readers about raising social awareness and reconciliation. To explore this argument, I identified two main research questions:

1. How can drawing graphic novel stories establish a deeper connection between the researcher/person and archival cultural heritage?

2. How can Indigenous multimedia graphic stories be a tool to educate and engage with the community in raising social awareness about reconciliation?

Due to this thesis work and prior interests, I have become interested in drawing as a research method and in field journals.

Upon moving to Doha, I discovered that it is a cultural and art center. I have been so engaged in art and culture in this city and have really enjoyed having so many options. I will share my experiences with you through this visual lab. I will occasionally post something in words, drawings, photos, audio, or even video. I am not an artist, and I am not making art. I hope you enjoy coming on this journey with me.

For real-time action, you can find me on Instagram @culture__talks