Discursive Formations - Place, Narrative and Digitality in the Museums of the Future

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Despite the significant funds now being made available for museums and galleries to make digital copies of objects and materials, the core of the museums work is still in the display and arrangement of real objects in physical locations. The art of display in museums involves using space as a medium for communication; translating historical or cultural interpretations of objects into physical arrangements which can be read as the visitor explores the gallery space. Even here, however, digital technology is beginning to find a place in the form of e-guides and digital information points which augment the glass cases and printed labels. The raise of ubiquitous computing and the increased affordability of digital technologies will doubtless see further developments in the integration of smart-media in the museum context. If these technologies are to be successful and enhance the experience of museum visits, they must not become side-shows or simply extensions of the museum guidebook. Similarly the questions raised by the integration of digital media in museum contexts have implications not only in the world of museum display but also in the research and design of computer user interfaces. The possibilities created by integrating digital media into physical contexts is a central concern of research into new technology, particularly in the rapidly expanding fields of ubiquitous and embodied computing. Museums provide unique contexts for the study interface technology because of the complex way in which visitors are asked to read and interact with the 'object oriented' displays and the multifaceted way a museum communicates to the visitor; both through the layers of information each object and assemblage of objects represents and the contexts for discussion provided by the often communal museum space.Under the title 'Discursive Formations' we are proposing holding three workshops which will, broadly speaking, investigate the integration of digital technologies into the physical context of the museum space. The Fitzwilliam Museum will be used as the venue and case study and it is propose that, as well as a research document, the workshops will lead to new collaborations and potential new research projects.