Like the book, both the museum and the objects in it are experienced as discrete, separate.

The strength and weakness of the museum derives from its fundamental practice of decontextualizing objects and placing them in a new aesthetic and conceptual context. The museum serves as a frame commanding the viewer to act in a specific way, viewing the object with close attention, respect, and expectation of pleasure.

The museum visitor who doesn't know the proper context feels alientated, estranged.