Introduction

In the context of cultural heritage, this visual paper deals with the possibilities of media reprocessing of cultural assets in museums and other display spaces. Special attention will be paid to the new generation of museum visitors, who will be encouraged to engage with cultural heritage. After defining the topic, the importance of cultural identity is explained, and important development steps of new museum models are outlined. A brief overview of possible technological means of representation is given. Furthermore, David Hockney's and deceased artists' examples are cited and evaluated.

In this visual paper, various existing museum models are brought together, and an overview of different media implementation possibilities is created. Various papers on exhibition design and new media and my experiences with alternative exhibition media are consulted. In the cultural heritage research field, all studies examine the trend behavior of new exhibition methods. For this visual paper, works by various art historians and lecturers in the field of digital cultural heritage were consulted.

the importance of cultural heritage in society

»Culture is a resource for the identity and cohesion of communities. In today’s interconnected world, it is also one of our most powerful resources to transform societies and renew ideas (https://en.unesco.org/).«

Cultural heritage would enrich society in that, on the one hand, citizens would be enriched in their individual lives, the cultural and creative sector would be stimulated and the economy would also benefit from the income generated by tourism. These cultural offerings in cities and towns create jobs and thus continuously revitalize the respective places (https://culture.ec.europa.eu/).

the development in alternative exhibitions and museums

1987, ABS (Art Beyond Sight)

has worked on exhibitions for the blind. For this purpose, the organization developed tactile letterpress printing and tactile language using lines and patterns (Levent und Pascual-Leone, The Multisensory Museum, p. xivff).

»We can integrate into a richer percept the impressions generated by different sensory modalities (ibid., p. xvi).«

TeamLab

In terms of immersive exhibitions, the Japanese international art collective “TeamLab” collaborates with different cities e. g. Tokyo, Miami, or Shanghai, and creates immersive spaces either in reputable museums or public areas (Pye, 2008; Chatterjee, 2008).

»They’re looking at ways to bring audiences back—to reenergize the audience. I would say that, in the next five to ten years, there will be more exposure to these types of experiences within those types of institutions (https://www.newyorker.com).«

existing media solutions

»The panorama is a very interdisciplinary medium and it is – also in this exhibition – not a backdrop because it is not in the background. Visitors to my panoramas can still tell me years later what they experienced. Something very physical happens that remains in the memory. In an interview, Klaus Honnef, an art critic, once said that the panorama is one of the few art forms he knows in which you move through the art, which fascinates him. With the panorama, you have to move. It is a holistic experience that cannot be assigned to any category. Of course, filmmaking is part of it. Of course, there is also a theatre in it. Still, it’s difficult for me to classify it (https://journal-a.com/).«.«) 

Yadegar Asisi about his panorama exhibitions

Example 1 — »Flowers« Hypo Kunsthalle Munich

In the Hypo Kunsthalle in Munich within the framework of the so-called “Flower Weeks”, the limited exhibition showed a collection of paintings, sculptures, objects, and digital installations, containing the elements of flowers and botanicals. The visitor was confronted by historical pieces as well as immersive rooms with abstract 3d animations. Throughout the whole exhibition, the visitor was guided by a website with auditive explanations of certain exhibits. The mixture of media and easily accessible information via smartphone made the exhibition an informative and interactive experience that combined traditional and modern artworks. There were also a few AR elements, but they were hanging quite shyly in the corner of the room.

Example 2 — »9/11« and »Luther 1517« by Yadegar Assisi

Another interesting exhibition concept was the panoramas by Yadegar Asisi. There are currently two panoramas in Leipzig and Wittenberg. The dramaturgy first confronts the visitor with information about the displayed scene. At the end of the tour, the huge panorama room follows, which extends over several meters and provides a 360-degree view. In this huge hall, sounds and lights are installed to give the visitor a realistic replication of the portrayed situation. I visited both the exhibition in Leipzig and the Panorama in Wittenberg. In Leipzig, the exhibition was about 9/11. As the space was a large roundel, the information was placed on the outside of the screen in a circle. There were various media installations. Mainly steles with screens were set up, which contemporary witnesses then reported. These rather quiet stations alternated with large, abstract objects such as the Twin Towers replicated in blocks of gold or various LED signs that were meant to imitate the billboards of Times Square. Finally, the visitors reached the Panorama Room, where one relived the last quiet minutes before the plane hit the ground in a small green area. Then, when the first passenger plane crashed into the first tower, it suddenly went quiet, and the screen changed to a dark beige of the dust from the collapsing building. A similar phenomenon took place in the Panorama in Wittenberg. There, a daily routine was simulated on the square in front of the church. Street noises and conversations were played. In addition, depending on the time of day, the lighting mood changed from a spring-like green to a reddish sunset to a dark blue. In addition, it was possible to listen to an audio guide explaining the individual scenes. The corresponding number was displayed on the floor.

Both exhibitions were highly interesting, in terms of content and media. I liked the combination of information preparation and the simulation of a real experience. You could internalize background information in an exciting environment. Both times it felt like you were transported back to that moment. As far as the age group of the visitors is concerned, the panorama exhibitions are suitable for both young and older people, as the demand for technical understanding is not so high and thus visitors who are not familiar with technology can easily find their way around. However, technology is used to such an extent that it also appeals to the younger generation of visitors.

Example 3 — »Gustav Klimt«

In Leipzig in April there was also an immersive exhibition I visited on the Austrian artist and co-founder of the Vienna Secession, Gustav Klimt. The exhibition started with basic information about his life and works. It was displayed on an info screen in an anteroom. Then we went to the main room, where cushions and beverage crates were spread out as seating. The film ran on all four walls and the floor and showed the paintings in chronological order. Well-known classical pieces, such as the Danube Waltz, ran along with it. The typical abstract decorative elements that Klimt integrated into his works became separate elements and floated across the walls and floors. The paintings and crafts were always shown from multiple scaling degrees and angles. Between the paintings, abstract forms appeared that suited the optics of the next painting.

The immersive exhibition was optical pleasing. It didn’t provide as much information as the panorama exhibitions by Yadegar Asisi. It felt more like a meditative and relaxing experience. But again, optical and auditive the projection created a very pleasing atmosphere of presenting Cultural Heritage. For people, that just like to enjoy art and calm down, these immersive rooms spread the ideal mood. On an informative base, there could have been more to read and look at before entering the main room.

Feedback overview

A hint of the future

During Corona, all museums were confronted with the question: How can we make exhibitions more interactive and, above all, digital? This one positive development brought the pandemic that museums and exhibition spaces could face a digital renewal. As briefly mentioned at the beginning, virtual reality is strongly on the rise. Through the technical innovations of Apple, Google, Windows and Co., a lot will certainly happen in this direction, also in terms of exhibition. For example, even more, city tours could run with the help of VR and AR, so that you can experience historical places live and interact with citizens from the respective time. Or extinct animal creatures could be brought to life in natural history museums and allowed to strut through the aisles. The concept of a digital-only exhibition worked poorly during the pandemic. People want to experience history and heritage on site, so a hybrid solution is more likely. Currently, there is also a shift towards AR. Cultural heritage is increasingly being brought into 3-dimensional space. This will take time as museums experience a lack of professionals in the area of 3d-modeling, but it is a noticeable trend.

Ultimately, it should be noted that there is an urgent need for further development. Eyewitnesses who give first-hand accounts are always only a temporary solution. It is important to use new technologies as a medium for historical knowledge and cultural heritage. To this end, it is important to enable museums to have the necessary resources to implement and finance developments.