Ways of seeing and interacting.
Just select what vibes with you and explore the subtypes and purpose of each.
Panels
Backlit panel
Graphic panel - Text + Image - actual or illustrated.
Text panels
Suspended panels
Acrylic flip book panels (bottom image)
The text should usually not exceed 40-50 words
Images: Museum of Indian Cinema | Mumbai
Artefacts and Replicas
Objects of importance from personal collections or are already a part of museums make an Artefact. These objects usually have a story that makes them special and generates curiosity.
Replicas are look alikes of existing objects such as sculptures. In some instances, the iconography will remain the same but slight beautifications may be added for enhancement.
Artefacts and replicas serve the purpose of display, and sometimes even Live action animation.
Original artefact: The 9th Ashokan Edict (3rd Century BC, Sopara, Maharashtra)
While creating a replica, it is important to identify all important iconograpies that ideally should not be modified.
Images: CSMVS | Mumbai
Replica: Priest King from Harappan civilisation.
Original location: National Museum of Pakistan, Karachi
Murals
A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate.
CAN BE CATEGORISED INTO
High relief murals
Low relief murals
Can be 2D, 3D and backlit in nature,
Can be made in paintings or sculptures
2D High relief wall mural
3D Low relief wall mural
Image:
Pazhassi Raja Smrithi Mandiram | Kerala
Various sources
3D High relief wall mural
Illustrations
2D illustrations such as line art usually used on panels, animations, and graphic stories in books, and kiosks.
3D illustrations - usually required for layered cut-outs, dioramas, scenographies, and sometimes animation.
Illustrations can be replicas or newly made from style references provided, depending on the content, purpose and target audience. They can be created with various techniques in any art available.
Images:
Aviation Museum | Goa
Patangrao Kadam Museum | Pune
Unknown
Art in Island | Manila
Audio and AV’s
Spatial audio or focused audio
Text-to-speech - used in kiosks
Audio within pods - with or without headphones
Animation - 2D, 3D, Live action, Experiential, Stop motion, Clay animation, Motion graphics, Explainer video, Projection mapping, 3D walkthrough animation
Actual footage AV - projected, TV screen, kiosk
Slide projections
Images:
Museum of Indian Cinema | Mumbai
Unknown
Installations
Kinetic - sensory installations, generates movement and interaction with light and sound.
Static : may not necessarily involve movement but can use light and sound while staying static. Digital flipbooks can be counted as a part of static installation.
Installations are 3D in nature and can be combined with audio, video, layered cutouts and illustrations.
Images:
Kinetic: BMW Museum
Static: Museum of Ice Cream pop up exhibition | LA
Kinetic Installation: 714 metal spheres are suspended from the ceiling on thin steel wires and animated with the help of mechanics, electronics and code.
Static Installation
Dioramas
A diorama is a model representing a scene with three-dimensional figures, either in miniature or as a large-scale museum exhibit.
This medium is static in nature and may or may not involve the interaction of light and sound.
Dioramas help show the actual environment of an audio playing in background or a story on a panel / placard.
Scenography
A scenography becomes essential to show the actualities of the history of an object, person, or time period, establishing an atmosphere and mood for a theatre-like presentation. A scenography can use original sculptures or replicas and involve the interaction of light and sound. It is more performance-based and has drama, in contrast to dioramas.
Image: Replica scenography of Room from the Titanic. Titanic Museum | Belfast, Northern Ireland (2012)
Cutouts
Backlit layered cutouts.
The purpose of layered cutouts lies in creative storytelling through light and sounds. They can be both kinetic and static.
Low relief illustrated cutouts.
Placards and Nametags
Placards have information about either individual objects in a museum or to give a synopsis of a group of objects. They are smaller than panels. (Left image)
Nametags contain information like name, time period, accession number, and location to identify an object on display. (Right image)
Kiosks
A museum is an organization and space for sharing knowledge through various mediums of communication. However, not every information can be displayed and not every information already displayed is complete. Meaning, there are several layers of information to it.
Kiosks are based on digital interaction with a screen. They serve the purpose of containing the extra information that does not go into the display or narrative of the museum.
Visitors can swipe through the information to get a better understanding of the subject and dive into the details.
Museum Archives
Archives are repositories of reading and viewing materials such as papers, books, paintings, photographs, publications, slides, AVs, scrolls, all safely preserved to provide for research or future context.
Information from these is directly or indirectly displayed in the museum through different communication mediums, including kiosks. However, archives give a wider view of the information beyond physical appearance.
Some archives also give the opportunity to look at physical specimens of objects up close.
Images:
National Archives of India | New Delhi
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History | USA
Ways of seeing and interacting
Research and Documentation by Namita Kalve
projects.namitak@gmail.com