Communicating art through interactive technology: new approaches for interaction design in art museums

This paper discusses new approaches to interaction design for communication of art in the physical museum space. In contrast to the widespread utilization of interactive technologies in cultural heritage and natural science museums it is generally a challenge to introduce technology in art museums without disturbing the domain of the art works. To explore the possibilities of communicating art through the use of technology, and to minimize disturbance of the artworks, we apply four main approaches in the communication: 1) gentle audio augmentation of art works; 2) conceptual affinity of art works and remote interactive installations; 3) using the body as an interaction device; 4) consistent audio-visual cues for interaction opportunities. The paper describes the application of these approaches for communication of inspirational material for a Mariko Mori exhibition. The installations are described and argued for. Experiences with the interactive communication are discussed based on qualitative and quantitative evaluations of visitor reactions. It is concluded that the installations are received well by the visitors, who perceived exhibition and communication as a holistic user experience with a seamless interactive communication.