An Experiment in Holistic Approach
Title: A Holistic Approach in Museums: A Practical Example for Museums Exhibiting Parts of the Same Whole
Abstract
This study presents a unique practical application of the “Holistic Approach” in museology, focusing on the famous Golden Horn Chains (Haliç Zinciri). Research conducted in 2009 revealed that various chain links exhibited across different museums in Istanbul were actually fragments of the same historical whole.
This article details a specialized project designed to reconnect these scattered fragments in the minds of visitors. By implementing holistic information panels, the project aims to:
- Enable visitors to visualize the entire artifact while viewing only a single part.
- Encourage cross-museum visits by highlighting where other segments of the chain are located.
- Enhance museum education through integrated storytelling.
This application serves as a model for how museums can collaborate to present a unified historical narrative, even when physical artifacts remain separated by institutional boundaries.
The project achieves a ‘semantic restoration’ by reconstructing the fragmented historical context and reuniting the artifact’s meaning across institutional boundaries.
Teen, The. (2010). “Experimenting a Holistic Approach in Museums: An Application Example for Museums Exhibiting Parts of the Same Whole”, MASROP E-Journal, 5, 1-14.