Information Communication Technology for Aesthetic Education in Art Muséums and Galleries Tomoko Kanoshima Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of M.Phil. Institute of Archaeology University College London July 2001 The candidate confirms that the work submitted is her own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others W: ProQuest Number: 10010503 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest. ProQuest 10010503 Published by ProQuest LLC(2016). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Acknowledgements I would like to thank the following people who helped me, through advice and support, with the completion of this thesis. In particular I would like to thank my supervisors. Dr. Nick Merriman and Dr. Paulette McManus; Dr. Suzanne Keene; Dr. Jeremy Tanner all of whom are members of the Institute of Archaeology. Also I would like to thank museum educators who helped me for my survey, Vicky Mitchell, Clair Ackroyd, and Suzanne Rennie at the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery; Claire Gittings at the National Portrait Gallery; John Humphreys at the Tate Gallery of British Art; Toby Jackson at the Tate Modem; David Judd and Martin Barnes at the Victoria and Albert Museum; Rowena Loverance at the British Museum; Jo Digger at the Walsall Museum and Art Gallery; and both my parents who have helped me in so many ways throughout my studies. Preface This thesis examines aesthetic education in museum environments and the possibility of using computer display in supporting aesthetic education. While computer applications in museums have greatly expanded since the 1990s, the use of computers especially in art galleries is still at a relatively experimental phase. In particular, the use of computer-mediated-leaming systems for supporting art museum education that is the core theme of this research has barely been examined before and consequently, this research has become exploratory in its nature. This research reveals the importance of the recognition of the true value and benefit of computer applications in exhibition spaces. This M.Phil thesis was originally planned as one element of a larger Ph.D research programme, and the investigation presented here was prepared as a preliminary study in anticipation of further development through other case studies. However, unfortunately my research had to be curtailed because it proved impossible to locate other appropriate case studies of multimedia programs presented in galleries alongside the artworks, and because my family matters called me back to Japan. For these reasons, I now present my research paper as an M.Phil thesis, as a self contained but preliminary study. Despite its preliminary nature, it is hoped that the research provides some initial pointes towards the potential of computer technologies to support learning in art galleries, which might be developed by further research in the future. Abstract Recently, computer technologies have been recognised as effective means for developing the educational mission of museums. Much research on ICT for museum activities has been published in recent decades, but few studies examine how art museums can use new technologies to stir the casual visitor's interest, to deepen a personal and aesthetic experience and to promote the desire for further learning about the visual arts. The aim of this M.Phil research is to explore the use of ICT for the development of aesthetic education in the museum context. Aesthetic education is an approach which aims to develop the audience's active engagement with visual phenomena through perception, cognition, and emotion in the individual’s reactions towards art objects. This approach emphasizes that art museums should be seen as places that not only convey information about art but also places which stimulate the audience's involvement and participation in the personal appreciation of museum collections. I argue in this thesis that ICT has the potential to be a powerful supporting tool for aesthetic education because of its ability to convey a learning environment that enhances: 1 . audience participation in the interpretation process;2 . the engagement of the full range of human intelligence in the learning process; 3. the facilitation of different learning styles that cater for a personally and socially driven construction of understanding of art objects. This thesis begins by discussing the general use of ICT in museums. Then examines approaches to aesthetic education in art museums and the potentials of computer-mediated learning for supporting aesthetic education v^ll follow. It then discusses the results of a visitor survey of the CD-ROM project at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford, U.K, as an illustrative practical investigation of the potential of ICT to promote the aesthetic approach in art museum education. This thesis also contains interviews with both educators and information technology developers in the museum field to understand the current situation of ICT use and its future in the museum field. Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................................................2 PREFACE....................................................................................................3 ABSTRACT.................................................................................................4 CONTENTS.................................................................................................6 LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................. 10 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................... 13 1. BACKGROUND........................................................................................... 13 2. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES........................................................................ 14 3. LIMITATION OF THE RESEARCH......................................................... 16 4. SUMMARY OF THESIS CONTENTS...................................................... 17 CHAPTER 1 THE GENERAL USE OF ICT IN MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES..............................................................................................19 1. INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................19 2. WHAT IS INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY? - DEFINITIONS........................................................................................................21 Information Communication Technology (ICT)............................................. 21 Interactive Multimedia.......................................................................................21 Hypertext and Hypermedia............................................................................... 22 The Internet.........................................................................................................23 3. INFLUENTIAL FACTORS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES 24 ICT as a Key Tool to Democratise Museum Collections..........................24 Government and Public Initiatives on the Use o f ICT in Museum Education......................................................................................................26 Museums in the Information Age................................................................29 4. APPLICATION OF ICT IN MUSEUM INFORMATION SYSTEMS... 32 Collections Management....................................................................................32 Conservation........................................................................................................34 Development of Research and Publication......................................................36 5. APPLICATION OF ICT FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION FOR MUSEUM PRACTICE.......................................................................................... 39 Outreach - Museum Services for New Audiences.......................................... 39 Increased Visibility of Lesser Known Institutions .......................................... 41 Orientation to the Actual Museum Visit........................................................... 42 Increased Number of Visitors ............................................................................ 43 Contribution to Increased Revenue...................................................................44 6 . ICT APPLICATION FOR MUSEUM EDUCATION.................................45 The use of the Internet for the Development of Museum Education.............45 Live Events via the Internet ........................................................................ 46 Educational materials on World Wide Web ...............................................47 Virtual exhibitions on the Web.................................................................... 49 Limitations in the Use of the Internet................................................................50 Connection and technology infrastructure ................................................51