Eve Oliver

 

Transforming memories: Shabtis and the presentation of Nubian culture in museums

 

Abstract: How do museums mirror the shifting narratives assigned to historical epochs, and do such narratives crystallise within the instalments of particular objects? This paper will explore how the memory landscape of Nubian shabtis has transformed over time, and in doing so, will compare and contrast exhibitions containing these artefacts. Considering this transformation as a journey from Egypto-centrism to Nubian celebration, the shabtis installed in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, The British Museum, Drents Museum, Petrie Museum and the Manchester Museum will be explored, to reveal the dichotomies between traditional display and contemporary exhibitory storytelling. They will encompass how museums can be powerful transmitters of memory and meaning, as, in newer installations, the meaning of Nubian shabtis goes beyond Egypt and archaeological context. The conclusions drawn will suggest how the installation of the Shabti of King Senkamanisken in the Allard Pierson Museum can exemplify these shifting narratives to appeal to visitors from a variety of backgrounds.

 

Bio: Eve Oliver finished a BA in History and German at The University of Manchester before commencing MA Museum Studies at the University of Amsterdam. Writing her thesis on how modern Germany is coming to terms with a complex past of surveillance in the Eastern Bloc, her interests have expanded further to consider how memory can be utilised to spark transnational activism in the museum setting. She is also interested in how memories of hope, activism and forgotten pasts can be communicated to audiences in multi-sensorial ways, particularly to the Deaf community.