We exchanged ideas about the term dialogue in the museum context as well as from our personal perception. The role of museums in creating dialogue for the visitor was also raised. As a consequence we developed the idea of formulating our entry to the SAWA Glossary Project as an exchange of written correspondence – a form of dialogue that is slowly being forgotten. Our goal was to incorporate real experiences from our work and share them with you in the form of personal heartfelt letters. In teams of two, we created a hypothetical letter exchange between a young museum professional and a friend who is more experienced in the field, seeking advice, expressing concern along with describing impressions in the museum.
Huda Bakhit Alteneiji, Khawla Aqeel Alawadhi, Fadhel Al Ali and Steffen Backhaus, 2021
The outcome of our team work, discussion and research on the term “Dialogue” is presented in the form of two letters exchanged between two friends with experience in the museum field.
The first letter from “Sara’’ to ”Dallas’’ was written by two team members reflecting the writers’ experience with the term dialogue in the museum context. “Sara” is seeking professional and personal advice from a friend who has a long work experience as a curator. The second letter written by the other two members addresses the question, and highlights the origin and meaning of the term, as well as the difference between Dialogue and Discussion. The letter also looks at the impact of technology advances on the transformation of dialogue.
We wish you much pleasure in reading and letting your thoughts wander. May you have your very own way of connecting to our stories and experience the power of dialogue with us.
In Arabic there is what is called the art of dialogue, it is a necessary skill to overcome many of the issues that face us in life; as it can expand the social circle, facilitate the start of various businesses, and advance in working life... when we find a common ground a connection between our histories and discuss it fully then the dialogue happens. For we as individuals crave the sense of belonging and to have a better understanding of each other.
Originally, the word Dialogue comes from the Greek word Dialogos.
Legein means word or speech, and dia means through. Hence, a dialogue is essentially a composition of spoken or written words flowing through, for the purpose of exchanging a conversation, idea or thought between two or more people.