About This Project
Summary
The Met’s Arts of Oceania Audio Guide centers Indigenous and expert voices, featuring 23 collaborators from over 11 countries, including artists, scholars, and cultural knowledge holders. Highlights include a ceremonial wedding song by Aunty Sana Balai, a sailing song from Moromata Setukwa, and a poem voiced from an artwork’s POV by Pohnpeian poet Emelihter Kihleng. This inclusive, globally collaborative project reshapes how audiences connect with art and its histories.
Goals & Objectives
To foreground global and Indigenous perspectives in gallery interpretation, foster deeper understanding of Oceanic art and its cultural contexts, and provide accessible, non-linear storytelling through diverse voices that reflect the lived experiences and knowledge systems behind the artworks.
Results & Impact
The guide reshaped how people engage with Oceanic art by amplifying voices and enriching the context of the artworks. It broadened global partnerships with the collaborators participating in the museum wing’s opening ceremonies, and offered a model for inclusive, multidimensional interpretation.
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