An ecosocial museum. From egocentrism to ecocentrism
At a time like the one we are living through, it is impossible to continue talking about cultural institutions as being separate from their ecosocial responsibilities. Museums must rethink their forms of governance, review their working methodologies and reimagine their practices from a more sustainable perspective. Adapting buildings, programmes, collections and ways of working is no longer an option, but a necessary condition for addressing the challenges of the present and, above all, those of the future.
We start from the premise that there are no easy solutions to complex problems, nor one-dimensional answers to multifaceted challenges. Institutions dedicated to art and culture therefore need to undertake a paradigm shift that makes it possible to move from a logic centred on the self to one based on interdependence: from egocentrism to ecocentrism.
Heritage and sustainability are, in this sense, two closely interconnected concepts, as they share the same vocation: contributing to well-being and the common good.
But this path is not without its difficulties. A systemic change of the kind our cultural institutions need cannot be undertaken immediately or through isolated actions. If we understand the institution as an ecosystem, we must work from an eco-efficiency perspective that takes into account its multiple dimensions and relationships.
To move towards genuine sustainability, we therefore need a systemic, situated and achievable roadmap; a tool grounded in IVAM’s specific characteristics and local context, attentive to its possibilities and capable of enabling progress without losing sight of the complexity of the process.
With this purpose in mind, and after studying the state of the field and carrying out an assessment of our situation, we have developed a bespoke sustainability guide for IVAM. An open roadmap, necessarily imperfect and constantly evolving, because we understand that sustainability is not a destination to be reached, but a continuous process of learning and transformation.
We invite you to download and explore it, and we hope it can also serve as a resource to inspire your own projects, questions and ideas.