Readings
From Malraux’s Imaginary Museum to the Virtual Museum
This article highlights the changing significance of artworks in the space of a museum, when the space is transformed from a physical space to a virtual one. In a less social, more focused environment, the works become something more heavily analyzed while losing the social environment that museums act as. Museums are traditionally places of sensual delight that express the ideas of mankind, however in order to adjust to the digital age, how can museums successfully extend the ideas that museums portray from the confines of space?
The article discusses certain issues such as works of art losing their dimensions to virtual productions, and also possibly losing their original significance if the web copies their existence too many times. They also have the possibility to be abstracted from their original sense through a loss of scale. I believe that all of these are very valid concerns, but the ability for a work to occupy even more meanings by being more malleable to the individuals perspective is more beautiful as it allows for a more diverse flow of ideas surrounding the work. The art’s artistic quality itself can be more easily enjoyed and interpreted even if there is a slight abstraction.
This is due to the simple educational value of having artworks more accessible on an online platform. A museum’s collection being displayed online eliminates the barriers to visit and allows the ideas displayed by every artwork to reach all facets of society. This is an active approach to educating all and brings us closer to the art itself, eliminating the social space to allow every person to view the art simply for its artistic brilliance and form their own personal perspective.
The only issue I see with this change to a more digital expression of artworks is the elimination of the social atmosphere that museums provide. However, I believe with the right design of the website, the online collections can display not only a wide collection of artworks, but also add the space for a diverse social atmosphere which can complement the already existent physical social space that a museum acts as.
Overall, by adjusting to people’s consumption, which is more and more internet-based, these museums can stay relevant to the 21st century. However, we must make sure society’s artworks can retain their artistic value online as well as making sure the digital dialogue is all-inclusive.
(Digital should not completely try to mimic the physical, but rather should play to its strengths, by doing what the physical can’t.)
Behind the scenes of the museum’s website
There is definitely an art to preserving the heritage of a museum in a digital space. This art is making sure the way information conveyed online is similar to the way it would be presented in a museum. Designers of museum websites must make sure that the gallery retains a similar expression across both a physical and digital medium.
I believe the biggest challenge of matching the digital space to the physical space is to make sure the digital space can be just as detailed as a museum, but also doesn’t bombard the viewer with a lot of information at one. Therefore, it must be organized in a similar way to how the museum’s galleries are laid out, and the interface must also be very intuitive as to show the users information in places they would expect it, while not bombarding their senses with endless text and facts.
By keeping the same layout through the design of the website, we can work with the already existing expectations of the human perception. The designers of these museum websites must also understand the perspective of a consumer. They should give the consumer a sense of ownership over their experience while also “streamlining their lines of consumption”. This is to make the online experience as interactive as possible while also not giving the user too much power over how the information is distributed, because the museums must still be able to express the main qualities of these works.
It is mentioned in the article that the displaying of a museum online can represent an online shopping catalog. This definitely makes sense because we already know how to operate an online shopping catalog, so the museums can follow this model to display all of their artworks. It is going with the flow of our already developed online behaviors. This is helpful for arranging objects in a way that will appeal to our consumer oriented attitudes. It will be beneficial to have this structure in order to best display our digital heritage.
For the future of museums’ placement in society, we must take into account how the digitalization of museums will affect how individuals interact with the rest of society. The comprehension of IT is essential for making sure designers can use the digital space to convey everything that would be conveyed in a physical museum while also using the benefits of the medium to achieve things that wouldn’t be possible with the barriers of physical reality. It is also very important to not shape the experience too much to consumer’s behavior and lose the essence of a museum’s purpose. To guide the experience to our consumer expectations and adjust to society’s viewing behaviors but also not lose the purpose of the museum.
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