Does 'pointing at' in museum exhibitions make a point? : a study of visitors' performances in three museums for the use of reference as a means of initiating and prompting meaning-making
My research acknowledges and explores the social interaction unfolding in the museum space by investigating the sociocultural ways through which museum visitors direct and enhance their personal and co-visitorsâ meaning-making. My research analyses the visitors' performances and the sociocultural means used in the context of their joint encounters with seven exhibits across three case studies so as to explore the ways these performances and means were further mediated through the personal, physical, sociocultural and institutional context of each encounter. The three case studies selected were the Courtauld Gallery, the Wellcome Collection, the Horniman Museum and Gardens, all in London, UK. Audio and video-based research was conducted from March 2010 until August 2011. Conversation Analysis and Ethnomethodology led the analysis, highlighting the collaborative, sequential, and performative dynamics of meaning-making at the exhibit-face. Three patterns of performances have been identified: attracting an audience; telling and tagging and animating through âdisplaying doingâ. âAttracting an audienceâ includes those performances used to attract someoneâs attention and subsequently broaden a personal
Christidou, D.
Does 'pointing at' in museum exhibitions make a point? : a study of visitors' performances in three museums for the use of reference as a means of initiating and prompting meaning-making. My research acknowledges and explores the social interaction unfolding in the museum space by investigating the sociocultural ways through which museum visitors direct and enhance their personal and co-visitorsâ meaning-making. My research analyses the visitors' performances and the sociocultural means used in the context of their joint encounters with seven exhibits across three case studies so as to explore the ways these performances and means were further mediated through the personal, physical, sociocultural and institutional context of each encounter. The three case studies selected were the Courtauld Gallery, the Wellcome Collection, the Horniman Museum and Gardens, all in London, UK. Audio and video-based research was conducted from March 2010 until August 2011. Conversation Analysis and Ethnomethodology led the analysis, highlighting the collaborative, sequential, and performative dynamics of meaning-making at the exhibit-face. Three patterns of performances have been identified: attracting an audience; telling and tagging and animating through âdisplaying doingâ. âAttracting an audienceâ includes those performances used to attract someoneâs attention and subsequently broaden a personal
museum exhibition make point study visitor performance museum use reference mean initiate prompt meaning_making acknowledges explore social_interaction unfold museum space investigate sociocultural way museum visitor direct enhance personal meaning_making analysis visitor performance sociocultural mean use context joint encounter exhibit across_three case_study explore_way performance mean mediate personal physical sociocultural institutional_context encounter three_case_study select gallery collection museum london audio video based conduct conversation_analysis lead analysis highlight collaborative sequential performative dynamic meaning_making exhibit face pattern performance identify attract audience tell tag animate audience include performance use attract someone attention subsequently broaden personal