Shoreham’s new museum of modern antiquities is based around the Portable Antiquities Scheme : visitors bring in their own finds and personal treasures to be displayed.
The museum encompasses archaeology notions such as value, time and discovery, and incorporates new criteria - subjectivity and popularity. The interior challenges standard exhibition layouts; floors and galleries become hierarchised. Visitors meander through the space, their journey being punctuated by dynamic ‘display towers’ holding an ever-changing collection of artefacts competing for popularity.
Every tower is equipped with a winch and pulley system per floor, each controlling one display case. The visitors interact with the objects, making them rise or sink in the hierarchy of the tower. Anarchy emerges from hierarchy as fluctuating relationships are established between both the artefacts and the visitors.
