A personal reflection based on a group discussion.
When was the last time you visited a museum? Does your city have a museum for you to visit? How much of the information available to you, did you understand and absorb? Did you have any inquiries? And how successfully were they resolved?
You may be an individual who truly enjoys visiting museums and looking at things they hold and display, in person. Or you may be someone who concludes all the questions asked above, by reminding everyone that technology is a powerful tool. With the internet by our side and information, along with imagery, at our fingertips, there is no longer a need to visit museums.
“Museums enable people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make accessible artifacts and specimens, which they hold in trust for society. This definition includes art galleries with collections of works of art, as well as museums with historical collections of objects.”
– The UK Museums Association
Based on the definition of Museums above, One wonders if these ‘institutions’ need to take up physical space at all, especially in a time where walking around in public areas can be a threat to existence itself. The idea of digital, online or virtual museums is not a new one. The question is whether museums all over the globe have jumped on the bandwagon, and how the accessibility to ‘artifacts and specimens’ is simulated to become closest to the true physical experience; bearing in mind the proximity at which one is allowed to view an artifact in a real museum in the first case.
Among the discussed museums in my city, Lahore, that do not have an online presence other than a few blogs and articles, were Army Museum Lahore (left) and Fakir Khana Museum (right). However, I was excited to discover Lahore Museum’s website. That excitement was short-lived after a quick glance at the user interface, and the lack of thought put behind search filtration and site navigation.
Citizens Archive Pakistan was an exciting project to learn about; not only because it hits close to home, but because it included exciting techniques such as photography and videography and oral narration, to impart information and knowledge. This led the discussion to move on to other examples of online museums, archives and exhibitions in the world, and what features truly make some digital spaces better than others. It all came down to how well a physical experience can be mimicked, which includes the addition of sensory stimuli that are possible to achieve over the digital realm. We looked upon projects that took advantage of the advanced technological age we’re living in, allowing viewers to be part of an environment from afar.
Louvre: A quick search on the internet led me within the walls of Louvre (above). I was a able to view various spaces, top to bottom, side to side, with a click of the mouse. I could hear a narration as I watched other people walking around, interacting with pieces of art, making the experience feel closer to reality. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to look at pieces up close. I guess that’s what a paid virtual, guided tour is for.
Prada Fashion Parade: I viewed a fashion show (watch above) where I was able to experience the space, the ramp and the models appearing and disappearing, all through my computer screen. It felt as though I was given a seat among the audience. I could look in all directions from my seat, but couldn’t leave the area and walk around to see the show from different viewpoints; just like it would be if I were present at a real fashion show.
Autograph ABP: The Missing Chapter’s web app was a fascinating project that I was introduced to. It was inspiring to see people working towards bringing to light, photographs of individuals that were very much part of history but filtered out of the mainstream discourse. Allowing visitors to develop photographs in a “digital dark room” just by hovering their cursor over a container of chemicals, is a brilliantly simple, interactive feature that elevates the experience of viewing this project (screen shot above). Another feature available, was a form that allowed visitors to ask multiple questions about each photograph, enhancing a query based approach. This offered further details on specific individuals, making use of information that was already available on the internet, on a single platform. The ability to then share found information with more people was another effective way to encourage the use of this feature. Experience it first hand here http://webapp.themissingchapter.co.uk/
Another aspect about these successful examples of online experiences, that was difficult to move past without discussion, was the implementation of digital features that enhanced a simulated involvement in the environment. Other than the enormous appreciation for technology, I was moved to look up how things really worked. I was acquainted with histography.io which was another interactive website that revealed information based on your cursor movements (screen shot above). Historical information that may seem boring to individuals was now presented in a fun timeline format, reinforcing the effective nature of interactive websites and human-centric design when it comes to learning.
The discussion then moved towards technical exploration, where I dabbled with remove.bg. This website allows one to upload a raster image file, after which it removes the background, leaving the object or person in the foreground unchanged and detached. Another overlooked example of intelligent technology are algorithms that tailor your search engine results, and make research efficient and unique to each individual!
I couldn’t help but wonder what other ways can daily processes be automated to minimize the effort required to do certain tasks. This also ignited a question; do we really need to employ the most technically advanced and expensive techniques to enhance learning based digital experiences, or more basic tools, used intelligently, can be exploited to achieve a similar effect?
Tools & Technology in Art Education 