한국영상문화학회

In order to operate a ‘Dark Museum’, which means a museum that commemorates tragedies that have occurred in Korean society, such as repression, genocide, war, natural disasters, epidemics, and human accidents, this study categorizes the characteristics of exhibit materials in general museums and the exhibit materials in dark museums, and discusses how to utilize each characteristic. For this purpose, we analyzed the exhibit materials in dark museums representing Korea by focusing on the meaning and actuality, which are the classification methods of exhibits in general museums, and how the content and value can be defined as exhibits in the meaning classification, and how the form, shape, nature, and condition can be defined as exhibits in the actuality classification. The results showed that most of the domestic dark museums actively utilized ‘narrative materials’ to remind people of the tragedy and to inform them of the causes, processes, and consequences of the tragedy. In terms of values, ‘eventuality’ was emphasized, and ‘relativity’, ‘scarcity’, and ‘specificity’ appeared. However, among the ‘narrative materials’, there were differences in the extent to which domestic dark museums utilized oral testimonies as exhibition materials. In order for domestic dark museums to approach the truth beyond revealing the substance of the tragedy, it is necessary to study in-depth how to apply oral testimonies, which play an important role in evoking the atmosphere and emotions of the tragedy, as exhibition materials. In addition, the method of utilizing artworks in the exhibition composition, which has been tried in a few dark museums, is an exhibition material that should be paid attention to in the future because it provides visitors with a new perspective and an emotion that allows them to access the essential meaning of the tragedy.