Better ways of seeing landscapes

The 'Queensland Historical Atlas'

Authors

  • Marion Stell University of Queensland
  • Geraldine Mate Queensland Museum Network
  • Celmara Pocock University of Southern Queensland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1017/qre.2018.25

Keywords:

Queensland Historical Atlas, Queensland Museum, museum practice, new technology, affective interpretation frameworks

Abstract

The Queensland Historical Atlas (2010) takes a fresh approach to the atlas form by interpreting Queensland landscapes as lived, embodied and practised. As a project conceived in partnership with Queensland Museum, the Atlas brings this approach directly into museum practice. This article outlines some of the challenges of the conventional atlas form, and examines how the Queensland Historical Atlas has embraced opportunities to reinvigorate the form, including the adoption of new technology and developing new affective interpretation frameworks. Significantly, the Atlas places material culture, including historical maps, at the centre of interpretation of Queensland landscapes. Although the Atlas is not an exhibition, it creates ready-made modules available for exhibition interpretation. Each of these reflects on how Queensland is shaped by its landscapes and how, in turn, museum collections can capture the diverse landscapes of Queensland and the people who create those landscapes. As an electronic resource, the Atlas becomes a way of reconnecting cultural history and landscapes with museum collections.

Author Biographies

  • Marion Stell, University of Queensland

    Marion Stell is an Honorary Research Fellow in History at The University of Queensland and formerly Senior Curator at the National Museum of Australia, Canberra. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Queensland Historical Atlas, produced with an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant between the Queensland Museum and The University of Queensland 2007–10.

  • Geraldine Mate, Queensland Museum Network

    Geraldine Mate is Principal Curator, History Industry and Technology at the Queensland Museum Network. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Queensland Historical Atlas, produced with an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant between the Queensland Museum and The University of Queensland 2007–10.

  • Celmara Pocock, University of Southern Queensland

    Celmara Pocock is Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Southern Queensland and formerly Head of Cultures and Histories at the Queensland Museum. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Queensland Historical Atlas, produced with an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant between the Queensland Museum and The University of Queensland 2007–10.

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Published

2018-12-01

Issue

Vol. 25 No. 2 (2018)

Section

Museums and Engagement in Queensland: Critical Contributions to the Field

How to Cite

Stell, M., Mate, G., & Pocock, C. (2018). Better ways of seeing landscapes: The ’Queensland Historical Atlas’. Queensland Review, 25(2), 267-285. https://doi.org/10.1017/qre.2018.25