Education Lab

The Exhibition Visitor and Digital Media

Course at the University College of Film, Radio, Television and Theatre, Stockholm

Background

New digital media tools are beginning to be used to a larger extent in museums, art galleries and public exhibition spaces as ways to offer visitors both facts and information that enrich their experiences and interactive communication of content.

But what possibilities do multimedia, digital media and interactivity offer museums? What digital technology is available today, in the future? For what purpose? How are established forms and ways of production effected by these digital tools?

Knowledge about the pedagogical potential of these new media when in contact with museum and exhibition visitors is still in its infancy. The need for interdisciplinary research within the field of digital museum communication is substantial.

About the course

With this need in mind, the Digital Cultural Heritage Centre of Expertise coordinated and presented a course titiled “The Exhibition Visitor and Digital Media” at the University College of Film, Radio, Television and Theatre in Stockholm. This orientation course was based on the text “Digital media for visitors at museums” and was designed around lectures, study visits and relevant references.

The purpose of the course was to give its participants an overview of how digital and interactive media is applied in various museum environments, art galleries, culture-historical museums, science centers and other visitor attractions.

The goal was to give the participant insight into central questions and challenges that are implied by the application of digital media within museums’ communicative culture.

The course was held in 2004 and study visits were focused on the Stockholm area.

Preliminary course schedule:

Week 1
Theory block
Study visit
Introduction to individual assignment

Week 2
Practical lecture about media/technology budgeting
Individual assignment: to present a concept for exhibition content about a chosen object, person, theme or environment that is based on use of digital media.
Supervision

Week 3
Presentations of individual assignments
Inspirational lecture