Design interventions for open-air museums

McLoughlin, Marc; Ciolfi, Luigina

doi:10.1145/1978942.1979019

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 11 publications

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“…The museums have similar backgrounds, methodologies, and the biographies of objects, being established as a response to the rapid urbanization affecting the radical social change of the countryside. The ethnographic open-air museum occupies vast natural landscapes and displays relocated buildings with reconstructed environments, representing rural architecture and daily life in the pre-industrial period (McLoughlin & Ciolfi 2011). The buildings are grouped according to the geographical principle, displaying the different ethnographic areas of the country (Young 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communication Matters: How Do Visitors Interact with Ethnographic Open-Air Museums?

Charapan

2018

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[full article, abstract in English; abstract in Lithuanian] Though the concept of an ethnographic open-air museum is not a new one, little is known about the interplay between a visitor and an amalgam museum setting. Ethnographic open-air museums are complex spaces with shared qualities of outdoor sites and indoor museums. Grounded in Gibson’s theory of affordances (1979), the article explores how visitors interact within and in relation to the hybrid space of ethnographic open-air museum and how communication shapes their interactions. The analysis is based on a qualitative study of visitors in the Belarusian State Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Lifestyle (Aziartso, Belarus) and the Open-Air Museum of Lithuania (Rumšiškės, Lithuania). The data were collected using participatory observation and semistructured interviews with visitors. The article employs a constructivist approach and conceptualizes an ethnographic museum as a free-choice environment, where behavior patterns are linked to the institutional context and the visitors’ ability to perceive the information about the objects and environments that specified the possibilities and constraints for interacting with the museum’s space. The study reveals how cultural communication fosters the diversity of visiting scenarios and the perceptions of ethnographic open-air museums as cultural heritage sites, natural parks and stages for entertainment. The implications of this research could be relevant to cultural policymakers and communication specialists in designing the cultural, recreational and educational policies of museums.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communication Matters: How Do Visitors Interact with Ethnographic Open-Air Museums?

Charapan

2018

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Evocative Computing – Creating Meaningful Lasting Experiences in Connecting with the Past

Linden

Rogers

Coughlan

et al. 2013

Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2013

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Abstract. We present an approach -evocative computing -that demonstrates how 'at hand' technologies can be 'picked up' and used by people to create meaningful and lasting experiences, through connecting and interacting with the past. The approach is instantiated here through a suite of interactive technologies configured for an indoor-outdoor setting that enables groups to explore, discover and research the history and background of a public cemetery. We report on a two-part study where different groups visited the cemetery and interacted with the digital tools and resources. During their activities serendipitous uses of the technology led to connections being made between personal memories and ongoing activities. Furthermore, these experiences were found to be long-lasting; a follow-up study, one year later, showed them to be highly memorable, and in some cases leading participants to take up new directions in their work. We discuss the value of evocative computing for enriching user experiences and engagement with heritage practices.

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Designing for meaningful visitor engagement at a living history museum

Ciolfi

McLoughlin

2012

Proceedings of the 7th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Making Sense Through Design

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This paper presents an interactive installation designed to facilitate and support visitor engagement in a living history museum. Little research thus far has explored how interaction design can bring added value to living history museums, although they present great potential for participation, interactivity and engagement. We discuss the design rationale for the prototype installation we have developed for a living history museum called Bunratty Folk Park, and present exemplars of empirical data showing how the system merged into the site facilitating an engaging experience for a particular category of visitors.

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Design interventions for open-air museums

Cited by 6 publications

References 11 publications

Communication Matters: How Do Visitors Interact with Ethnographic Open-Air Museums?

Communication Matters: How Do Visitors Interact with Ethnographic Open-Air Museums?

Evocative Computing – Creating Meaningful Lasting Experiences in Connecting with the Past

Designing for meaningful visitor engagement at a living history museum

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