Guest Post: Patricia Maciesz
Posted in Technology on 13. Feb, 2009
Touch screens are the future of museums. They are accessible, intuitive and interactive- all things that most Museum’s are not. They can act as a tool for museums to communicate clearly with the viewer, whether it’s to explain an exhibition, show something in depth, or as guide. I can think of few examples interacting with touch screens that have been transformative in the way I experienced a museum.
At the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg there are touch screen maps and guides to the immense collection that you can print out and bring along. Brilliant.
At MOMA’s Seurat show last year there were a series of table height touch screens which enabled visitors to browse though the pages of all of his sketchbooks. What a thrill, flipping through the hidden yellowed pages , now given a new life behind a bright screen.
Halsey Burgund’s touchscreen audio piece at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum allowed you to listen to not only what curators and artists had to say about the exhibitions, but also to museum visitors. You could even add your own thoughts for future participants to enjoy.
The reason this tactile experience is so thoroughly enjoyable at a museum, is because it is usually the land of DO NOT TOUCH, DO NOT TALK. A touch screen enables us to be the lucky archivist and curator, allowing us to engage with primary source materials, to choose what we do and don’t want to listen to , and see clearly where we want to go and how to get there.
In all of these instances, the touch screen is a supplement to information, to enhance the all powerful “visitor experience”. And it does so very well. I hope to see more modules springing up, with more interesting way to use them in museum’s everywhere.
Patricia Maciesz is a Paris based artist, curator and co-founder of Halfslant, a company which connects artist’s to alternative spaces. Patricia also contributes to the Halfslant blog on hints.halfslant.com. Follow Halfslant on Twitter or Facebook or email them at: begin (at) halfslant.com.
I definitely agree that this interactive approach to museums is working. There have always been attempts to turn museums into a sort of Disneyland with lights and sounds and movies, but touch screens are intimate, intuitive and very versatile. Probably my favorite thing about interfaces like that is the fact that they don’t intrude on other people’s experience.
Touch screens can enhance the museum experience for visitors when used to offer a more in-depth look at an object. However, I am not a fan of museums where touch screens have completely replaced wall text. Navigating a touch screen can be time consuming and you may have to wait for the opportunity to use one. Besides, I already spend 40+ hours a week looking at a computer screen. I am not bashing touch screens in museums, but instead simply expressing my opinion that they should be used in combination with wall text.