Getting interactive seems to be less an option than a necessity for modern museums trying to compete for shrinking attention spans. Today's museum-goers are increasingly active online, not just as consumers but also producers. Take the changing nature of daily news consumption. When I read an article I can contribute a comment and join in on the conversation; if I find something particularly interesting or relevant I can repost that article on my blog or facebook or even Tweet it. In these venues new conversations are subsequently started, knowledge and experience shared. You all know this; you all do it. So much of the information we consume (that you are consuming right now) is online that it would be naive to think that the technology would not affect our relationship with offline knowledge.
Now I love a good exhibit but I have never been, and most likely never will be a person who is content with sticking with logical predetermined routes guiding me through a series of texts. It is embarrassing to admit but despite my commitment to history, unless I am really engaged with a subject I generally will not give it the time that a curator was hoping for. I think a lot of people living web 2.0 might sympathize. Museum "users" still genuinely want to learn but shifting modes of information consumption means that they (I) often have the attention span of a 6 year old. I like to keep this 1st grader metaphor in mind when thinking about how a museum can engage a modern public:
1) "The climax of the War of 1812 was intrinsically linked to.... Hey, what's that over there?!" Attention spans and more specifically our capacity to read long blocks of text are diminishing. Have you continued reading this far into my long-winded blog post? Gold star for you. No exhibit exists in a vacuum and if there is not enough to hold a visitor's attention, they won't stay long.
2) "Ooooh, it's a shiny thing!" That being said visually stimulating or unconventional displays can become hubs of activity. In Chapter 4 of The Participatory Museum Simon discusses the power of provocative objects. The Science Museum of Minnesota's exhibit Race: Are We So Different? featured a vitrine that contained stacks of cash representing various races' earnings. This provocative and visually startling display became a centrepiece for the larger conversation the institution had hoped to stimulate.
3) "But I want to play with it!" Even better is when a guest gets to become a participant. Bruce Mao's incredible Massive Change exhibit featured numerous wonderful interactive elements but one of the most effective was also one of the simplest. On one wall there was mounted two tall thin Plexiglas cases next to a body of text that discussed various advantages and drawbacks of genetically modified foods. A prompting question asked individuals to decide whether or not they were in support of GMOs and museum goers were then asked to drop a bright coloured piece of paper into either the "yes" or the "no" Plexiglas box. The simple visual power of this running tally not only provoked discussion but it allowed the participant to interact with and transform the exhibit. Some wrote messages or drew on their votes, some boldly proclaimed their stance as they dropped their paper and some chose to simply watch other individuals participate. Though there was a variety of ways that the public engaged I really liked this particular method not simply because it was participatory but because it is an excellent example of simple creativity. A creativity that doesn't require massive endowments or the latest technology but nonetheless engages a web 2.0 public.We in the public history business should take a creative lesson from non-historic exhibits. While it is obviously vital to respect the material culture within collections (nobody should be clambering around on Queen Victoria's Empress of India throne) institutions should strive to integrate interactivity into their spaces. I like to think of it as the first date test. Would your guests feel comfortable bringing a date to the exhibit? Would it be an interactive experience where they could have fun and discuss interesting elements of the display, fall in love, make babies, etc? Or would it be one of those awkward silent dates that ends in a handshake? I jest but you get the idea; ideally, an exhibit can stimulate interaction between strangers. While it is fair for an institution to expect a reasonable level of attention from its public audience the best museum experiences are not dictations but relationships.
In closing I would like to do a bit of an about-face to quickly highlight one tool that is neither cheap nor simple but awesome nonetheless. I came across YrWall a little while ago but reading Nina Simon's book got me thinking of how this tool could enhance a museum exhibit. YrWall is essentially a digital graffiti wall and I feel like this tool could have some sweet applications for the history museum world. Users interact real time with a projected image using a "spraycan". Just like real graffiti writing the user has the ability to change colours and caps and can also use stencils to create their composition (the video below gives you a better idea of how it works). Afterward, the user can save and email their work or perhaps an institution could arrange to display these pieces elsewhere in the exhibit. The digital tool box could be loaded with appropriate contextual images and members of the public could use these stencils (which removes some of the pressure to have artistic skill) and their own drawings to create visual responses to stimulating questions. It would be important to ensure that the entire exhibit contained interactive features so that this one cool element does not overpower the show. That being said, there could be many applications for YrWall and if anyone has too much money kicking around and wants to help their favourite institution become an innovative exhibit leader I am looking for an internship...
Check out this YrWall demo reel to see the tool in action. What do you think of it? Can you think of any applications for a history museum? Do you think it would be all flash no content in an institutional context? Let me know what you think!
Love the "first date test." It's a great addition to the more standard "with my grandma," "in a wheelchair," "don't speak the language," tests.
ReplyDeleteI read the entire post and watched the video -- gold star for me? Your "first date test" is ingenious! I don't think I would be brave enough to create a masterpiece myself, but to offset the expense of the technology I think museums could use YrWall as a fundraiser. For example, an all-night graffiti marathon, or have visitors vote on their favourite pictures to then be printed in a calendar. Just some thoughts!
ReplyDeleteHey Adair,
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
I really liked your breakdown of the problems you see with some Museum exhibits and your solutions. "First Date" idea is brilliant! And Yr Wall seems pretty darn cool. Like Jen, I could see Museums utilizing this to engage patrons very easily. My only question would be cost, how much would something like the set up from the video run? Is it possible to rent the equipment?
Crazy stuff you got going on in these here blog, love it.
Awesome past Adair,
ReplyDelete@ccapa re: cost.
YrWall seems to hold many possibilities. For a cheaper version, I've seen similar things done with a chalkboard. At the Foreman Art Gallery BU, there was an exhibition on "Fears" in which we painted the a corner of the room with chalkboard paint. Every visitor into the gallery was then invited to write their fear on the wall. It was a great way to engage visitors. And it was super cheap. (We also collected "fears" before the exhibition and put them up at the opening so that people could come in and automatically see their contribution to the art).
Thanks for all the feedback folks!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that YrWall is prohibitively expensive for most institutions but I really like Jen's idea about using it as a fundraising tool. Also there are most definitely cheaper ways to invite visual participation - I really like the painted chalkboard idea Sarah! It would be neat if as part of the closing up activities someone at the museum could take some pictures of what was written that day. Nothing fancy, just a couple wide shots and then some closeups of particularly interesting responses. This would be a really interesting way for an institution to assess levels of engagement and could maybe even be exhibited itself in some form like you said. I bet reading those responses about peoples' fears was powerful as anonymity often allows for surprisingly genuine responses.
Adair
PS - Jen, DOUBLE gold stars for you!