New Media in Museums
Foteini Valeonti / Interactive Digital Media / ID:95461809 / [email protected]
This document is a research on the use of new media in museums and its purpose is to provide the context
for my major project. It is divided into three parts; the research process, the report and the bibliography.
Part A. Researching new media in museums
The research strategy followed in this project could be divided into four major parts as illustrated in the
diagram below. These are firstly the definition of the project’s subject, then the research and review of the
literature published on topic, the study of the resources gathered in the previous step and as a final step the
merging of the parts chosen to be included in the essay in a structured and coherent essay.
Theme
Literature
Study
Writing
definition
review
Theme Definition: During this step I studied new media with the book of Lev Manovich, “The Language of
New Media” (2005, MIT Press) as well as how they have been used in advertising with the Paul Springer’s
“Ads to Icons” (2007, Kogan Page), since my initial interest was the use of new media in advertising.
Afterwards, visiting a couple of museums which use new media, I did a primary research on how this
technology is being used in exhibition spaces. I finally decided to study the contribution of new media to
museums, as this is usually for educational purposes, and education is another area of interest for me.
Literature Review: Analyzed in the next chapter.
Study: Here I studied the resources suggested from the literature review. However, there were times where I
needed to go back and research a specific area which was not well explored in the literature review. I used the
skim-reading technique as well as going through the book’s contents to save time by studying only the parts
close to my topic. By the end of my study, I knew which parts of the resources I was going to include in the
essay.
Writing: At that part of my research, I made a clear structure of the essay and composed the texts selected
from my study with my own findings and observations in an order so that the essay will be grasp with
coherence.
Literature Review
Questions and evaluation criteria
The main question of this literature review is “How do museums take advantage of the emergence of new
media?”. For the needs of this research this question is divided into two subcategories which examine the use
of new media regarding learning, “How new media facilitate learning in museums?”, and regarding mobile
devices, “How mobile devices are used to serve a museums needs?” All the resources have been evaluated by
the criteria of argumentation, ability to track evidence and by the author’s credibility.
Defining new media and a museum’s needs
Firstly for the definition of new media as a term Lev Manovich’s “The Language of New Media” (2005) as
well as definitions found on online dictionaries, www.thefreedictionary.com, www.searchSOA.com provide
accurate descriptions of the term, avoiding examples. Additionally, for the clarification of the roles a
museum has in the society the “The Museum’s Community Role” (Parman, 2006) as well as “The educational
role of the Museum” (Hooper-Greenhill, 1994) provide a wealth of information.
New media in museums
The use of new media in museums could be characterized as a narrow field, so there is not a large amount of
literature published on topic. Furthermore, given the fact that internet is the most common new medium of
our era the resources regarding this subject are mostly informal lacking of argumentation. The resources
which match the evaluation criteria are “New technologies for Museum communication” (Hooper-Greenhill,
1995) and “New Media, New Museums?” (Meijer, 2005) which both describe the needs of a museum and
how the capabilities of the new technology can serve them. The former could be characterized as out of date
but due to its analysis of the new media in museums on a conceptual level its findings can be applied even
nowadays.
New media in museums for educational purposes
Regarding the way new media facilitated learning, Tim Caulton’s “Hands-on Exhibitions” (1998) gives a
theoretical background on how this technology could contribute to the educational aspect of museums.
However, for keeping the research on a real basis, the way technology facilitates learning could be examined
through real projects. Some case studies of representative projects in this regard are “Experiences on a
multimodal information kiosk with an interactive agent” (Makinen et al., 2002), “Collaborative Gaming in
the Gallo-Roman Museum to Increase Attractiveness of Learning Cultural Heritage for Youngsters”
(Luyten, et al., 2008), “Speeches of Display: Museum Audioguides by Artists”, (Fischer, 2004). All these case
studies are officially published and well referenced.
Mobile-devices in museums
For the use of mobile devices in the museums “The Electronic Guidebook: Using Portable Devices and A
Wireless Web-Based Network To Extend The Museum Experience” is an analysis of how this technology can
be used in museums to facilitate their needs. The use of the mobile devices can be also examined through
representative case studies. “The design of Prisoner Escape from the Tower : an interactive location
aware historical game” (Reid, 2007) is one of them while the case about the iPhone application of the
National Gallery could be examined through a couple of articles from online journals; “Gallery launches
"Love Art" iPhone application.” (Elliot, 2009), “Love Art: The National Gallery review” (Williams, 2009).
Part B. New media in museums
This report examines the use of new media in museums. Firstly, it is analyzed what is meant by the term
“new media” and then follows a summary of how this technology has been used in museums. The subject of
this report is examined in two different aspects; by purpose and by device. Both of them include case studies
of projects which were distinguished either because of their success or innovation. As a conclusion there is a
summary of the topics analyzed in the report along with some observations.
Definition of new media
According to Lev Manovich (2001) “new media represent a convergence of two separate historical
trajectories: computing and media technologies”. Both terms used in this definition “computing” and
“media” are generic, proving that new media is an even broader term. Computing could be defined as the use
of computers (www.thefreedictionary.com, § Computing) while media are the means of communication
(dictionary.reference.com, § Media). Thus the combination of these two areas results that new media is
a term for all forms of electronic communication (searchsoa.techtarget.com, § new media).
The use of new media in museums thus far
At first, museum theorists found computers to be of great advantage for the everyday tasks of museum
workers behind the scenes. Computerization in the offices made some tasks easier or quicker and it was
beneficial to connections between departments (Hooper-Greenhill, 1995, p. 85). Museums automated their
documentation systems, putting collection records into computerized databases instead of the previously
used index-card systems. (Meijer, 2005 p. 4) However, apart from using new media to automate procedures
of the past, museums started researching better ways to exhibit their content and engage their audience
taking advantage of the brand new possibilities technology had to offer.
Purpose-driven approach (Learning in museums)
The roles a museum has in the society vary from visitors’ attraction to a center of learning and creativity
(Parman, February 2006). According to Tim Caulton (1998) new media contribute to the educational aspect
of museums, because an interactive museum exhibit has clear educational objectives which encourage
individuals or groups of people working together to understand real objects or phenomena through physical
exploration which involves choice and initiative. In this chapter, they are firstly analyzed the aims a museum
should fulfill regarding education and afterwards it is examined the way new media facilitate learning in the
museums.
Considerations regarding learning in museums
Museums have a number of philosophical and practical considerations when planning learning
opportunities. Some of them are to engage in learning as constructive dialogue rather than as a passive
process of transmission, to take on the role of privileged participant rather than that of expert and to
facilitate lifelong learning by providing a free-choice learning environment that permits a plethora of
pathways and possibilities. (Hawkey, 2004, p. 2) According to these considerations, since the emergence of
new media, museums have been researching and developing new ways to take advantage of them regarding
education.
How technology serves education in museums
New media facilitate learning in museums in a variety of ways. The most common one is serving as an
interface for the presentation of information.. A more advanced use of new media is the contextualization of
a museum based object with Virtual Reality showing for example, how the whole object was and the way it
was used, or how an animal lived. Additionally, every museum nowadays uses one or more websites to
extend the learning experience beyond the museum building. Furthermore, technology is used to provide
access to the museum’s collection for people with different needs, for example audio guide for visually
impaired people or multimedia guide for schools (King, 2003) Gaming, a large subgroup of new media, has
also been used to enhance the learning experience and increase attractiveness of museum visits for
youngsters (Luyten, et al., 2008).
Case Studies
From all the examples stated above, in which technology contributed to an easier and more pleasant
learning, some cases could be distinguished, either because of their success, for example the audio tour, or
due to the innovation and uniqueness in both conceptual as well as physical level. Some of these cases are
analyzed below. These are firstly the use of the audio tour, then “Smarthistory” a website project which
provides in an innovative way the wealth of MoMA in artworks and information regarding the history of art,
as well as “Archie” a prototype of gaming in museums using mobile devices.
Audio
and
multimedia
tour
A widely used new media project in museums is the audio tours. An audio tour or audio guide provides
a recorded spoken commentary, normally through a handheld device, to a visitor attraction. It provides
background, context, and information on the things being viewed. (Fischer, 2004, p.49) Audio guides are
often in multilingual versions and can be made available in different ways. They are usually rented on the
exhibition space, more recently downloaded from the Internet, or available via the mobile phone network.
With the evolution of technology audio tours are being replaced by “multimedia” tours. A multimedia
electronic guide is a device specially designed to provide audiovisual or textual content to museum visitors. It
may also provide alternative content corresponding to different personal preferences (www.wikipedia.org, §
Audio toor). Some of the museums which offer multimedia tours are MoMA, Tate Modern, Victoria & Albert
Museum.
Smarthistory
Taking advantage of the World Wide Web and the abilities databases offer regarding data manipulation
MoMA launched “Smarthistory”, a Webby Award Winner website for 2009. According to Lotte Meijer, one of
its creators, “Smarthistory” is an online multimedia art history ‘web-book’ developed by New York art
historians and professors Steven Zucker en Beth Harris as an enhancement or even replacement of the
traditional static art history text book. The website discusses over 200 of the high points of Western art
history from antiquity until today, in text, audio, and more than 150 videos. The website is aimed at both
goal-oriented and casual users, by allowing a multitude of ways to find the content. The user can quickly
search by period, style or artist name, or browse through thumbnails of the artworks in the image browser on
every page. On the artwork pages, the text and videos are joined by a map that quickly places the artwork in a
time and place, links to other interesting websites and photos of the artwork that were contributed to
“Smarthistory”’s Flickr pool (museummedia.nl, § Case Study 7: MoMA WIFI and Smarthistory).
“Smarthistory” is available both for all the internet users as well as for the museum’s audience via its special
version for mobile devices.
Archie
Archie
is
a
mobile
guide
system
that
uses
a
social-‐constructivist
approach
to
enhance
the
learning
experience
for
museum
visitors.
The
implementation
focuses
on
conveying
the
key
messages
of
the
museum
narrative
by
means
of
mobile
games
that
relate
more
to
computer
games
than
to
classic
’edutainment’.
Archie
stimulates
collaborative
learning
activities
by
encouraging
its
users
to
communicate
each
other.
The
effectiveness
of
Archie
has
been
validated
by
extensive
user
tests,
as
over
400
participants
used
the
mobile
guide
and
evaluated
it
on
different
aspects
such
as
usability,
attractiveness
and
learning
effects. One of the conclusions from these
evaluations was an increased motivation for learning about cultural heritage by youngsters (Luyten, et al.,
2008).
Medium-driven approach (Mobile devices in museums)
Recent
advances
in
wireless
technologies
create
the
potential
to
significantly
enhance
the
experience
of
a
visit
to
museum.
In
the
exhibition
space
visitors
carrying
wirelessly
connected
portable
devices
can
be
given
opportunities
for
exploration,
sharing,
explanations,
context,
background,
analytical
tools
and
suggestions
for
related
experiences.
(Semper
et
al.,
2002)
Thus,
both
for
their
capabilities
as
well
as
for
their
advantage
of
portability,
mobile
devices
such
as
cell-‐phones
or
media
players
are
getting
more
and
more
popular
in
the
museums.
As
shown
in
the
previous
chapter
they
are
commonly
used
for
audio
or
multimedia
tours
but
apart
from
that
there
has
been
a
considerable
amount
of
work
in
the
development
of
new
ways
a
mobile
device
could
serve
a
museum’s
needs.
In
this
chapter
they
are
analyzed
some
cases
which
represent
the
range
and
the
quality
of
research
taking
place
in
this
area.
Love
Art:
The
National
Gallery
In
2009
the
National
Gallery
became
the
first
ever
gallery
to
make
its
paintings
accessible
through
an
iPhone
application,
in
a
move
to
make
possible
for
all
the
users
of
the
application
to
take
a
tour
of
the
Gallery
anywhere
in
the
world.
The
application
is
called
"Love
Art"
and
features
250
paintings
from
the
collection
along
with
around
200
minutes
of
audio
and
video
content,
including
interviews
with
National
Gallery
director
Dr.
Nicholas
Penny,
dramatist
Robin
Brooks,
artist
Maggie
Hambling
and
the
author
of
“Girl
with
a
Pearl
Earring”
Tracy
Chevalier
(Elliott,
2009).
The
application
contains
information
about
some
of
history’s
master
artists,
including
Van
Gogh,
Da
Vinci,
Rembrandt
and
Renoir.
There
are
eleven
artists
featured
and
their
works
are
explored
through
video
and
audio
clips,
while
it
also
lets
the
user
take
a
look
at
works
from
the
artists
themselves.
The
artworks
can
be
browsed
in
a
variety
of
ways
for
example
by
artist,
or
even
by
selecting
terms
such
as
‘Honesty’,
‘Vanity’
and
‘Devotion’.
Furthermore,
zooming,
into
the
paintings
is
supported
accompanied
by
an
audio
commentary
(Williams,
2009).
Prisoner
Escape
from
the
Tower
Tower
of
London
is
not
a
museum,
but
as
an
exhibition
space
concerned
to
educate
the
audience
about
the
tower’s
history
it
meets
the
criteria
to
be
included
in
this
report.
“Prisoner
Escape
from
the
Tower”
is
an
interactive
location
aware
historical
game
designed
for
visitors
to
the
tower.
The
idea
is
that
instead
of
the
passive
reading
of
plaques
and
looking
at
the
Bloody
Tower,
tourists
are
able
to
explore
the
tower
with
PDAs
re-‐creating
prison
breaks
(Pearson,
November
2007).
The
game
uses
mobile
devices
with
GPS
and
Active
RF
transmitters
and
receivers
to
trigger
events
and
interactions
around
the
tower
and
with
the
Beefeaters.
The
game
is
based
on
authentic
historical
events
and
players
help
prisoners
to
escape
by
completing
tasks
which
allow
them
to
re-‐enact
their
actual
escapes.
“Prisoner
Escape
from
the
Tower”
is
an
alternate
reality
game
which
allows
visitors
to
learn
about
the
tower’s
history
while
interacting
with
both
real
and
virtual
people
and
events
(Reid et al., 2007).
Conclusion
New
media
is
an
electronic
communication
technology
which
since
its
emergence
is
being
used
in
exhibition
spaces
serving
a
variety
of
purposes
in
countless
forms.
New
media
give
the
opportunity
to
museums
to
offer
to
their
audience
a
captivating
interactive
experience
through
which
one
of
the
main
aims
of
every
museum,
learning,
is
achieve
in
the
most
pleasant
of
ways.
From
a
medium
point
of
view,
mobile
devices
combined
with
technologies
such
as
the
internet
and
GPS
are
widely
used
in
the
museums
due
to
their
great
advantage
of
portability.
Concluding,
in
this
report
it
is
proven
that
whenever
there
is
a
new
technology
invented
museums
research
and
develop
ways
so
that
it
can
serve
their
needs.
Part C. Resources
Bibliography
Manovic,
Lev.
(2001)
The
Language
of
new
media.
Massachusetts.
MIT
Press.
Hooper-‐Greenhill,
Eilean,
ed.
(1995)
New
technologies
for
museum
communication.
London.
Museum,
Media,
Message,
Routledge.
Meijer,
Charlotte.
(2005)
New
Media,
New
Museums?.
Amsterdam.
University
of
Amsterdam.
Parman, Alice. (February 2006) The Museum’s Community Role. Culture Work. Vol.10, no.1.
Caulton, Tim. (1998) Hands-on Exhibitions. London. Routledge.
Hooper-‐Greenhill,
Eilean.
(1994)
The
educational
role
of
the
Museum.
London.
Routledge.
Mäkinen, Erno. Patomäki, Saija. Raisamo, Roope. (2002) Experiences on a multimodal information kiosk
with an interactive agent. New York. ACM.
Luyten, Kris. Schroyen, Jolien. Robert, Karel. Gabriels, Kris. Teunkens, Daniel. Coninx, Karin. Flerackers,
Eddy. Manshoven, Elke. (2008) Collaborative Gaming in the Gallo-Roman Museum to Increase
Attractiveness of Learning Cultural Heritage for Youngsters. Belgium. Hasselt University.
Fisher, Jennifer. (2004) Speeches of Display: Museum Audioguides by Artists. In: Drobnick, Jim. Aural
Cultures. (2004) Canada. YYZ Books.
Pearson, Aria. Escape Old London's Most Feared Prison — Guided by GPS. Wired Magazine (San Fransisco).
15 November 2007.
Reid, Josephine. Clayton, Ben. Melamed, Tom. Hull, Richard. Stenton, Phil. Peirce, Aileen. Gidlow, Chris.
Holmes, Susan. (2007) The design of Prisoner Escape from the Tower : an interactive location aware
historical game [online] London. Tate's Handheld Conference. Available from:
http://tatehandheldconference.pbworks.com/f/DesigningPrisonersv3.doc
Sember, Robert. Spasojevic, Mirjana, (2002) The Electronic Guidebook: Using Portable Devices and A
Wireless Web-Based Network To Extend The Museum Experience. California. US Department of Education,
Educational Resources Information Center. April 2002.
Elliott, Amy-Mae. (2009) National Gallery launches "Love Art" iPhone app. [online] UK. Pocket-lint.
Available from: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/25193/national-gallery-love-art-iphone-app
Williams, Andrew. (2009) Love Art: The National Gallery review [online] London. Know Your Mobile.
Available from: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/25193/national-gallery-love-art-iphone-app
References
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/computing
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/media
http://searchsoa.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci213507,00.html
http://museummedia.nl/case-studies/case-study-7-moma-wifi/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_tour
Foteini Valeonti / Interactive Digital Media / ID:95461809 / [email protected]
