Fowler Museum truly has a grand variety of exhibits. Like many traditional art and culture museums, there are a plethora of objects on display, but every exhibit seems to also include some kind of digital component to enhance and evolve the offerings. Of its current exhibits, I visited the following: “Enduring Splendor: Jewelry of India’s Thar Desert,” “Intersections World Arts Local Lives,” and “Popular Dance & Fashion in Johannesburg.”
Beginning with “Enduring Splendor,” I observed that there were many displays in this space, playing videos of the artisans crafting some of the very objects on display in the cases adjacent to the screens. This was a very interesting way to bring context to the items on display, aside from the traditional captions. There were also text descriptions next to the displays that I witnessed many people browsing, in addition to the screens. Since there were so many displays in close proximity, wireless headphones were available for a personal auditory experience, with benches situated immediately in front of each display, for a comfortable viewing experience. There were also slideshows being projected on some of the walls, providing additional options for utilizing otherwise empty space.
Inside “Intersections: World Arts/Local Lives,” there was a mini-theater, seating around 8 people. Many people seemed to come and go from the space, and upon trying out the cube-shaped chairs, I discovered that they were quite comfortable, which made the viewing experience more relaxing, given the length of the video. Throughout the exhibition space, there were small screening booths, where there were generally 3 video options each. Videos usually had the option of having subtitles, alongside the audio, which lends to both helping those who are hearing-impaired, as well as international audiences, who are less adept at listening to English. There were also digital displays mounted on panels that were hanging from the ceiling, with listening devices attached, that allowed for some additional context for theme of the objects displayed around them. Additionally, one information panel even featured an embedded display, describing the artist’s work that was on display. There was also an iPad that had a 3D Model of the adjacent piece of art, which visitors could interact with. (I accidentally, or perhaps not so accidentally, zoomed out of the model too much, and needed some assistance in resetting it. I spoke to one museum staff member about this particular space, and was informed that the screening booths and mini-theater were popular destinations in the space, and that the ratio for time spent observing objects in comparison to exploring the digital was around 80-20.
For the “Popular Dance and Fashion in Johannesburg” exhibit, there were many displays on the walls, featuring locals performing their dances, while simultaneously showing off the style that follows that particular Pantsula dance culture. Some of the displays had speakers below them, which lended to the communication of the rhythm, from the sounds of the footsteps, to the whistling involved. Stone benches set in front of these displays also made for a more comfortable viewing experience. Along with some of the displays, there were also prints of select frames from the performances being shown, which offered insight into the steps and more in-depth exploration of the style.
I think that there was a good mixture of technology to supplement the physical objects on display, though I personally would have liked more interactive content, instead of only videos, though perhaps the exhibitions did not easily lend themselves to such producing such experiences.
I think it’s great that you mentioned the benches. People don’t always think about it and lots of museums outside of art museums with lots of pieces don’t provide them, but if you really want to take a while and experience a museum, most people need to sit at some point. Thanks for sharing and I’ll make sure to take notice next time I’m in there!
I found it really interesting that they decided to display both a physical artifact and have the interactive 3D model there as well, in class we were discussing these more or less in opposition but offering both experiences seems to have the benefits of both. I also really enjoy the idea of having videos of the process of the art being created – that’s one of the most interesting parts of a piece in my opinion and displaying that adds a new element that visitors are not often enlightened to.
I think the concept of videos showing the process of an object being made offers a unique context that text cannot provide. When I observe artifacts in a museum, I tend to feel a sort of distance or barrier between the object and myself, usually because its presence in the space erases any history that it came with. Videos are a helpful visualization – and especially with people’s short attention-span in this technological age, they allow a glimpse into the meaning behind an object without a block of detailed text that people might not read.
It seems as if technology was a really important factor into the museum. Technology seemed to enhance the viewers experience and give them a better understand of the exhibit. I think it is very important for museums to use other elements than artifacts to accurately capture a culture because culture is more than just a bunch of artifacts. Music,dance and food are other sectors of culture that can’t be expressed thru a picture or placed in a glass box.