Jacob Nii Marley

Biography

Jacob works as a Technical Assistant at the Museum of Archaeology where his work involves ethnographic research and the production and management of digital assets, such as photographs and video of people and cultural practices and 3D models of cultural objects and spaces. Using his visual communication skills, he also enhances the aesthetics of exhibitions with graphic design to make them more appealing to visitors. Upon returning to the Museum of Archaeology after the ITP, Jacob was able to implement learning from the subject specialist sessions on photographing different kinds of objects, and set up a photography studio for the documentation of archaeological artefacts.

Jacob is studying for a PhD and is currently researching visitor experiences and museum services at the Elmina Castle in Ghana. Jacob is a graduate of the University of Ghana, and as part of his graduate project he curated an exhibition entitled Evolution of Music in Ghana held at the Museum of Archaeology in November 2018. Jacob is interested in the digitisation of collections and the management of digital data. He also has a keen interest in the use of sound in exhibitions and how it can enhance the museum experience. This is something he researched for his MA dissertation Kpa Music As A Medium of Social Resistance Among the La which was inspired by the outcome of the exhibition he curated in 2018.

Jacob’s dream for museums of the future is for visitors to have more tactile experiences and connect with objects in ways beyond traditional methods of display.

At the British Museum
During his time on the International Training Programme Jacob was based in the Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas and his partner placement was spent at Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums in Newcastle.

In 2019 participants were asked to plan and propose a temporary exhibition around an object from the Museum’s collection working within the theme of journeys.  Jacob worked with Vishi Upadhyay (India) on his Object in focus project. Their exhibition proposal was titled Lion’s Journey.

Jacob’s place on the International Training Programme was generously supported by the Aall Foundation.

Continued Dialogue
Jacob is working as a research assistant on a British Museum Endangered Material Knowledge Programme (EMKP) project in Ghana. The title of the project is Indigenous Gold and Silver Forging in Kumasi, Ghana. This project is to research and document how the natural minerals are processed using indigenous techniques and tools.

Legacy Projects
In 2020, Jacob attended the International Training Programme’s series of online subject specialist sessions. Jacob attended:
Egyptology in Lockdown: Connecting collections with isolated people
International Copyright and Artist’s Rights
Skill-Sharing Workshop: Interpretation and Label Writing
Socio-economic Impact Assessment for Heritage: Why Do We Need to Learn This?
Circulating Artefacts (CircArt): A global platform against the looting and trafficking of cultural property