Social Spaces Youth

This is a new collection which aims to document life in the 'social spaces' of Victoria. Which are defined as the physical and, increasingly, virtual public spaces where much of our social interaction and public expression is carried out. They can be owned and regulated either publicly (for instance, streets, laneways, parks and train stations) or privately (for instance, bars, hotels, shopping centres and social networking websites). These spaces can evolve and change throughout their lifespan, but can also morph into different iterations between seasons, between weekday and weekend, or even from day-time to night-time. The collection will initially focus on youth culture and how it is and has been played out in the social spaces of the city, and in regional and country Victoria.

Significance

It is envisaged that the Social Spaces collection has the potential to become significant as the primary repository of youth culture in Victoria, and one of the few in Australia. The focus on contemporary youth culture will also be a powerful tool in increasing and encouraging youth interaction with the Museum. The vision for this plan to focus on other subcultures or subgroups in society will again assist the Museum in documenting and collecting in areas currently underrepresented in the collection.