Museums have undergone a shift from displaying objects as art to experiences as art to now… the entire act of museum-going act as art?
Many museums have instituted rigorous social media campaigns, encouraging patrons to engage with artworks in the digital realm. As part of these efforts, museums have taken to inspiring patrons to post images of artworks on platforms like Instagram and Twitter, with various hashtags designed to increase the viewership of those posts and, by proxy, those works. This strategy has proved particularly successful for experience-based works that utilize an element of spectacle in their production. Searching the hastags #rainroom, #lacmalights, and #infinityroom on Instagram produced 33,507, 12,077, and 11,494 results respectively. Patrons connect with the pieces, it seems, as much by physically experiencing the works as by documenting and sharing their experiences on social media.
On one hand, this trend has the positive power of engaging patrons from around the world, who would not otherwise have the opportunity to view the pieces. Although a viewer on the other side of the world, for example, might not have the means to travel to Los Angeles and walk within the rain room, she can still gain some sense of the piece by viewing photos of it on Instagram. Some engagement with art (however removed from the intended form of interaction with the piece) is still better than no engagement with art.
Yet, in our culture, the pressure to document and share our experiences can overwhelm the experiences themselves. In my museum going, I have observed patrons focusing more on getting the perfect photo of a piece of artwork than on merely being in the presence of the work and reveling in the act of looking. I, too, have found myself guilty of this fault on many occasions. In fact, I have even used my camera as a means of distancing myself from various events or situations (the viewfinder creates a physical barrier between the scene in front of me and my perception of it, allowing myself to detach from what’s playing out).
So, should art be about the object or the experience? And, if a museum or patron involves social media, is art really about either of those things or something completely different?
That’s a deep question you’re asking… It’s true that when you are taking a picture of something, you are ind of detaching yourself from the experience in the moment, but the intention is usually to preserve that memory for later or to share it with others. I guess deciding to take a picture with such intentions is in a way also showing appreciation for the artwork, though not the deep, personal appreciation that the artists intend to evoke. And what is the role of the museums? I think it’s out of their reach to make such decisions.
I think art is about the experience of viewing an artwork, whether it may be online or on-site, and striving to understand and communicate with the artist through his/her artwork. Art is a form of self-expression and as museum-goers, I think we owe it to the artist to at least try to hash out the message the artist was trying to convey. But the act of documenting and sharing our experiences on social media shifts the focus away from what we think of the piece to what others think of our experience of the piece. (There is some level of anticipation about what others will say in response to a Facebook post, no? Or is it just me?)
I think posting images of works or exhibitions on social media platforms has become a fad in the past few years. Although there are some negative aspects to this, I think posting images of works has helped art objects and exhibitions become part of wider social conversations, as well as reach more diverse audiences.
You’ve made some pretty good points! I think sometimes museums use objects to inspire people to visit. For instance, the experience of going to the Rain Room and the Infinity Room are both considered art. Just being there evokes some sensations and thoughts from the viewer. This type of art can only be experienced by being there no matter how many photos of them are available. And while people are uploading photos of themselves experiencing this place, the museum benefits from this since people’s curiosity is further intrigued. In this sense, the art cannot be transferred to the digital space. Social media campaigns and promotions help spread the word, drawing more and more people in. So art doesn’t have to be a physical object. It can be a combination of all these things.
Isn’t art about an experience? Whether it be through viewing a physical piece, or being immersed in it (ie in the Infinity Room or Rain room), it’s all a way for the artist to communicate with the viewers. Yes, these intense social media campaigns by the museums may take away and devalue the experience, but those artists created the pieces to deliver a larger message than just #fortheInsta. It’s like a double edged sword, people are exposing others to their experience via social media, but are also taking away from their own experience by looking at it through a camera lens.
I totally agree with the fact that sometimes we spend more time taking the perfect Instagram photo rather than truly immersing ourselves in a museum installation; case in point, I never really “experienced” the Infinity Room at the Broad because I only had 45 seconds to get that one shot! However, I can see how the art of sharing experiences can lead and prompt people to look into these types of institutions, objects, cultures, etc.- in a sense, even garnering an interest creates an experience of learning and exposure, that sometimes needs social media for the extra push. It can also make people come back; now that I have a photo, I’m planning on going back to the Infinity Room one more time, phone-less!
I agree with the fact that the pressure to document and share our experiences takes over the actual experience of being at the museum and engaging with the art itself. I try to be conscious of this during museum visits by not pulling out my phone, but even sometimes I give in here or there. During my last museum visit, most people were interested in taking pictures of themselves than engaging with art. These two young girls were even having a “photoshoot” in front of various artworks, spending little to no time actually engaging with the work. It was really disheartening to witness, but we are a generation that is consumed with our screens and ourselves, so what are you gonna do….
I would say that the role of museums has always been to create an experience. I think that they are trying to replicate or in someway create a new experience digitally because it is a new incising realm that can reach masses. I too am dismayed by our cultures preoccupation with constantly sharing their experiences, however I think it does create an interesting platform for museums. Do they focus more on creating a digitally translatable experience?
I agree. I think that museums have shifted a lot of their focus to what can be experienced or translated to the digital sphere. I do think that it is in the nature of each museum to create spaces that are first and foremost for the in-person experience.