Visiting a museum proves to be a socially awkward experience for many people. If you are not an art expert, you do not always know how to look at art. You become very aware of your surroundings and often communicating about the art on the spot is not common. We were asked to conceive and develop an application that could make the museum visit interesting for every visitor.
Social dynamics in a museum
Augmenting Masterpieces is a partnership between the University of Amsterdam and the Rijksmuseum. Johanna Barnbeck, researcher for Augmenting Masterpieces, researches and creates interfaces between the Rijksmuseum's physical and digital collection. Instead of looking at art in the Rijksmusem, she has been observing its visitors for months for this purpose.
Communicating through digital applications
As a technology partner, how could we help Johanna translate her findings and engage in social dialogue with visitors? We came up with the idea of making communication about art more accessible by allowing visitors to leave messages and stories with the artworks. Think of how comments are posted online to a photo. In this way, a social dialogue could be created without having to directly address other visitors.
Contextual information in physical space
In the Rijksmuseum, we placed 'beacons' at various works of art. These transmit a unique signal that can be read by means of an app. Visitors walk through the museum with the app and can use it to discover the reactions of other visitors to the works of art. When a visitor approaches a specific work of art, the reactions appear on the screen of the tablet or smartphone. This can be a written message or a recorded sound clip.
This form of information exchange adds a social aspect to the experience of visiting the Rijksmuseum. Instead of static information, such as the information signs next to works of art, a social addition is created to the experience.
Art has become approachable
Argumenting Masterpieces makes it possible for visitors to provide information about the works of art without the intervention of curators. As a result, the art becomes approachable, thus fulfilling the Rijksmuseum's wish that the museum be for all of society.