Carnival at the museum and Mamãe’s adventures: reflections on museum objects, cultural performances, and urban space

Abstract The objective of this article is to summarize the trajectory of an object from the Théo Brandão Museum of Anthropology and Folklore in Alagoas and to subsequently raise questions related to the documentation and conservation of museum objects that are unconventional, but actively participate in the social life of cities where they are found. This will involve discussion of performances of an object in the city of Maceió and will also address resulting challenges with regard to conservation and documentation. It is important to point out some preliminary indications for resolving such challenges involving documentation and conservation of collections, without forgetting that the preservation of informational content and the social and symbolic meaning of objects are equally if not more important than maintaining their physical appearances.

摘要 本研究旨在梳理巴西阿拉戈斯州迪奥·布兰当（Théo Brandão）人类学与民俗博物馆所藏一件文物的流转轨迹，并进而探讨非常规馆藏文物的记录与保护相关议题——这类文物仍活跃于其所在城市的社会生活之中。研究将围绕马塞约市（Maceió）内该文物的展演展开讨论，同时探讨由此带来的记录与保护层面的挑战。需特别指出，针对此类馆藏文物记录与保护的挑战，可先行提出若干解决方向；同时需铭记，保留藏品的信息内涵及其社会与象征意义，即便不比维持其物理外观更重要，至少也同等重要。