Museums without walls (panel session): new media for new museums

Abstract

What role should computer graphics, multimedia, virtual reality, and networks play in the 'Museum of the Future' and what effect will these technologies have upon it? This panel is focused on the evolving nature of the museum in the information age. Society's traditional methods of presenting and exhibiting cultural, social, and historic artifacts and information are being profoundly affected by the proliferation of computers, multimedia, and networks. Museum directors and designers around the world are rapidly discovering that older passive and static presentation models are increasingly inappropriate in an 'instant gratification' society raised on television and accustomed to computers and other new media. Can and should museums attempt to keep pace with the media of the 'Nintendo' generation? A proliferation of World Wide Web "museum" sites on the Internet begs the question of what makes a museum today-is physical presence still a defining criteria? Is an interactive, networked 'virtual museum' a viable substitute for a physical place, or do we need both? How can and should traditional museum facilities work with and link to virtual ones? Just as a good novel can be more powerful than an interactive, multimedia CD-ROM story, technology alone does not necessarily make a better museum. How much media is appropriate? How interactive should it and does it need to be? When does media begin to overpower the message of the museum itself? How do we overcome (or should we even care about) problems of graphic realism 'brainwashing' visitors who may come to museums to see 'truths' about their society and history? With technology providing the potential to customize the museum to the visitor's interests, new dilemmas arise, and old debates resurface. Do the curatorial advantages of being able to present multiple 'tours' through a virtual site outweigh the losses of not being able to physically see an artifact itself? And how does a museum fund high technology with computer power and features advancing at a dizzying pace? These and similar questions are among those the panelists are grappling with in their own work, have previously discussed, and are looking forward to debating with each other and the SIGGRAPH audience. The panelists bring a multitude of perspectives to the discussion. From roles as museum directors and designers, to educators and artists, they have all dealt with the issues surrounding the museum of the future. They have similarly faced the challenges of being at the technologic forefront-from the difficulties of synchronizing and ensuring nonstop operation of a multitude of electronics for days on end, to the problems of creating and maintaining a state-ofthe-art showplace in the era of rapid media obsolescence. Although many of the experiences of the panelists are in many respects similar, different museums, artifacts, and ideas require different types and levels of technology-what works at the Museum of Tolerance may not be appropriate at the Getty or the Exploratorium. Douglas MacLeod New media that simply mimics a walkthrough of the paintings and sculptures of a museum is a waste of time and effort. The possibilities of real-time, interactive graphics and sound demand much more. Coupled with emerging high-speed, high bandwidth networks, engaging and evocative exhibits are possible that question the idea of a static collection inhabiting a single space. Converging new media are already undermining the traditional idea of a museum. Art pieces produced at the Banff Centre through its Art and Virtual Environments Project demonstrate the potential of new cultural experiences; and testbed networks such as WURCNet (Western Universities Research Consortium) in Western Canada demonstrate new delivery systems and content. Together the two trends of real-time interactions and high-speed networks will revolutionize our experience of culture and radically transform the institution of the museum.