Museum Exhibitions - The Real and the Virtual Ones: An Account of a Complex Relation

Authors

  • Werner Schweibenz Bibliotheksservice-Zentrum Baden-Württemberg Universität Konstanz D-78457 Konstanz <http://www.bsz-bw.de/mare/museen/index.html> <http://www.bsz-bw.de/kontakt/schweibenz.html> <http://www.bam-portal.de>

Keywords:

virtual museums, exhibitions

Abstract

This article analyses some major issues of the complex relationship between real and virtual museum exhibitions. While museums have a long tradition and experience in setting up physical exhibitions, they seem to be reluctant in creating virtual exhibitions. A hindering aspect seems to be the relationship between object and reproduction on the one hand and mediated and unmediated museum experience on the other, including the intricate issue of the aura of the original object. With the exhibition traditionally being the discursive space of museum communication, information technology is about to change the relationship between museums and visitors, culminating in the question of whether virtual exhibitions will replace the real ones. For a deeper understanding of this issue, it is necessary to take a closer look at the motivations for visiting in person and online. In order to create content that is intellectually accessible for both physical and virtual visitors, it is important to consider the relationship between digital collections and virtual exhibitions.

Author Biography

Werner Schweibenz, Bibliotheksservice-Zentrum Baden-Württemberg Universität Konstanz D-78457 Konstanz <http://www.bsz-bw.de/mare/museen/index.html> <http://www.bsz-bw.de/kontakt/schweibenz.html> <http://www.bam-portal.de>

Werner Schweibenz is deputy head of MusIS – Museum Information System (MusIS) located at the Library Service Centre Baden-Wuerttemberg, University of Konstanz, Germany, and coordinator for BAM, the joint portal for libraries, archives and museums in Germany. He studied information science at the University of Saarland, Germany, and the University of Missouri, Columbia, USA. His Ph.D. thesis in information science (published in 2008) described the transition process from the traditional to the virtual museum. His research interests are virtual museums and user-centered information design.

 

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Published

14.05.2013

How to Cite

Schweibenz, W. (2013). Museum Exhibitions - The Real and the Virtual Ones: An Account of a Complex Relation. Uncommon Culture, 3(5/6), 38–52. Retrieved from https://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/UC/article/view/4715