How is your museum utilizing technology in exhibition spaces?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Megan Southwood on March 15, 2010 at 1:38pm

The Library of Congress New Visitor Experience
The Library of Congress installed the New Visitor Experience about two years ago. They added computer interactives that visitors can use to explore the collection and provide "Passports to Knowledge" that allow visitors to build their own virtual collection on MyLOC.gov. Through this link (http://myloc.gov/demos/lce.aspx) you can watch a video that demonstrates how visitors can use these interactives. It should give you a sense of how technology was used to enhance the visitor experience and how the consoles blend in with the exhibition spaces. Considering that the architecture of the Library of Congress is of the Italian Renaissance, I think that the exhibition team was very successful in installing technology so that it did not seem out of place in the exhibition spaces.

I worked with the team to help evaluate the Passport to Knowledge by speaking with visitors after their visit. The response from the public was very positive.

Permalink Reply by yves apeloig on April 12, 2010 at 2:35am

what types of media institutions throughout the world are currently utilizing in their exhibition spaces. Are they older technologies? Newer technologies? How are visitors responding to them? Do you recommend them to other institutions? Do you have any cautionary tales to share?

Actually no one is using Percipio. This concept and techno are completely new. The few tests we have done, the late one in Museum Arts et Métiers, Paris, people where attending to use it instead of all others during sciences days where different experimental system where used in public real condition.

I am interested to discuss how this kind of system will change the way of exhibit in museums

Permalink Reply by Megan Southwood on April 13, 2010 at 9:09pm

This is an interesting point. There is also a great discussion on this network about the future of audio tours on Museum 3.0 http://ning.it/aoZDwh that you might want to read. A few replies mention Percipio technology.

Any thoughts from other members about how these types of technologies will change the future of museum exhibitions?

Permalink Reply by Ron Meijer on May 27, 2010 at 8:10pm

In a dutch museum (MuseumGouda) they started a project called HEBBES! which is a total new 3D experience. Visitors can 'hold' precious artifacts in their hands and explore them while, at the same time, the story of the artefact is presented.

As far as I know this is the only European Museum (or even worldwide) who uses this technology right now. I saw the company behind this technology on the Museum and Hertiga show in London two weeks ago and they had a lot of interested people which basically had the same WOW-reaction. The technology is presented on teh website www.museumsolution.com.

What do you think of this technique?

Permalink Reply by Alejandra Mery Keitel on August 8, 2010 at 5:26pm

Hi Ron,
That's quite interesting, in deed! I've worked in very early stages of exhibition designs in which 3D and augmented technologies are involved. I thing they have great potential in terms of accessing and experiencing objects that cannot be physically offered to the hands of visitors. However, I'm interesting in museum visiting experiences that go beyond the hand-held experience. A more immersive, sensorial experience. If you look at the set of technological components, what we see, once again, is a scaled representation of computer-like environments mostly dominated by screens. I think the design question should go strongly towards a more bodily-involved experience. How do we get more of our visitors' senses involved? How can we provide a more meaningful physical experience? In this era of the digital, the extreeeeeeeeme digital, we are loosing such a rich potential for experience when neglecting our bodies as part of the visiting experience...
Of course, I'm starting a reflection/discussion here, not offering solutions. Quick design solutions tend to be obvious and too immediate. I think we need to reflect a lot more about what can be done... The technology is there, the expectation is there, the need is there. The opportunity is there. How do we get there?

Permalink Reply by Ron Meijer on August 8, 2010 at 9:38pm

Hai Alejandra,

I know what you mean. We're actually working together with Dassault Systems in France in a project called 'The Cave' where the visitor is part of the surrounding and is able to access information about the things he/she sees around him. This is a very promising but expensive way to acutally be part of for example an era where the body is involved. As soon as I have more information I will off course share it here!

Permalink Reply by Alejandra Mery Keitel on August 8, 2010 at 9:40pm

Can't wait! Keep us posted please!

Permalink Reply by vladimir esaulov on February 28, 2011 at 5:58pm

Sounds great. But must be expensive & I guess time consuming since you apparently film/photo each artifact? You need a good number of "end stations" ...?

Permalink Reply by Ron Meijer on February 28, 2011 at 7:32pm

actually there are several ways to obtain 3D data, depending on the desired use of the data. It is true that it can be time consuming, but since museums are digitizing for preservation purposes, they better understand what more can be done with the data.

 

The system itself is not that expensive and will earn itself because of the encreased amount of visitors it attracks. We have several ideas how to make money with it, which, in these times of decreasing budgets, is very helpfull to the institutions!

Permalink Reply by Timo Pietilä on May 24, 2011 at 3:01am

Museum Centre Vapriikki - located in Tampere, Finland -  has released an innovative and completely browser-based mobile web app to serve the international visitors of the highly acclaimed "Tampere 1918" exhibition. The mobile exhibition guide, which was developed by a Finnish startup Zonear Ltd, can be used with any touch screen mobile device with a modern browser. The mobile web app is a great example of the possibilities of HTML5 in creating cross-platform mobile applications that offer a native-like user-experience.

The Tampere 1918 exhibition approaches a difficult topic of the Finnish Civil War by shedding light on the chain of events and the viewpoints of different parties of the war. The war between the Red and the White Guards was a short, but traumatic and sorrowful period in Finnish history. Almost 40,000 people were killed in an internal crisis which lasted only four months. The biggest inland battle in Northern Europe prior to World War II took place in Tampere in April 1918.

The intuitive user-interface of the mobile guide includes an interactive floorplan of the exhibition space and enables users to interact with the environment and objects. The points of interest provide an audio narrative to the exhibition and old authentic photos that give added depth and context to the exhibition.

Tampere 1918 exhibition was awarded in European Museum of the Year conference in Bremerhaven on the 21st of May with an EMYA special commendation.

Links:

Tampere 1918 exhibition guide preview page
Direct link to the Tampere 1918 mobile web app

Museum Centre Vapriikki website
Zonear Ltd. website
European Museum Forum official website