Pixel International Conferences

If “a picture is worth a thousand words,” how can the infusion of technology help works of art communicate their story to the public?

Permanent art collections typically use small placards to display the object’s title, artist, and dimensions. Limited space curtails expanded details, which curtails ones appreciation or understanding of the object being viewed. Would an art museum experience be more meaningful; and therefore, more memorable if the viewer knew the artist’s inspirations or influences by religion, politics, emotions, or art movements? Data visualization technology can show these relationships together on one screen for a detailed snapshot of the object while you are viewing it.

Cognitive research suggests that, “whenever new material is presented in such a way that students see relationships, they generate greater brain cell activity and achieve more successful long-term memory storage and retrieval.”¹

During a typical visit to a museum, attendees start with the first object in the room, and then tread from piece to piece in a lineal path. With indoor positioning the experience can change to a meaningful exploration of the museum’s galleries and artwork.  Based on the relationships and associations found through data visualization techniques, visitors can use their mobile device to navigate through the museum with turn-by-turn directions and targeted location reminders, creating a new and unique museum experience. 

This session will share the journey of the David Owsley’s Museum of Art as data visualization and emerging indoor positioning technologies are bundled into a mobile app experience and applied to the collections to create a robust display of relational information and self-guided tours for exploring the Museum’s collections.  In addition, learn how this convergence of technologies can provide new tools and content for museum curators, instructors, students and visitors.

¹Willis, Judy. (2006). Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.