“TALK”: Digital Design for Future Museums
The talk on Digital Design for Future Museums, touches upon the idea of revolutionizing the experience between the visitor and the piece of art. The purpose of a museum is to communicate to the greater community and to allow participation, however for many years it was not seen as a place where any interaction could occur. The talk discusses how museums are moving towards a new model where connectivity and dialogue starts to become more evident. The introduction of technology within the museum experience is beginning to change as it has become less passive and more active in regards to the human experience. However, there was much debate on whether or not technology would truly ruin the experience of appreciating art as it could become a distraction from the actual piece. I personally disagree, as i think that technology can actually enhance the experience when it is successfully designed and integrated into the exhibition. For example, the Charles James exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City successfully uses technology to enhance and to further educate the experience of the visitor. With the use of cameras and digital projectors, it helps guide visitors through James’ most architectural garments using animated video imagery, which deconstructs the gowns from their mannequins and visually explains how precisely it fits on the female anatomy. Detailed pieces of the garment are shown on a video screen so that visitors can further examine the construction and the details of the materials used. Without the creative use of this technology, visitors would not be able to fully examine the pieces up closely since in most cases close proximity to the garment is not allowed. Also, the video imagery show cases how intricate, sculptural, scientific and mathematical his gowns truly are, whereas by just showing the garment itself, visitors would not have a complete understanding of the detail and craft behind each gown. I think that technology should always be there as an enhancement to the museum experience, but it should never take away attention from the gallery. Like Charles James’ exhibition, the breathtaking gowns are what the visitors see first and its the technology that acts as an additive to dramatize his archival pieces.
Here is a quick video and article by the New York Times further explaining Charles James’ exhibition, explaining how a museum experience can be enhanced with technology.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/01/arts/design/the-dresses-of-charles-james-at-the-met.html?_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/video/arts/design/100000002855343/deconstructing-charles-james.html
materialslab 
Interesting discussion on the talk and nice to see an image included. Don’t forget to include the important details such as the speaker’s name and where he came from also your own name as this is a group blog.