Total Technological Transformation

We are finally in a digital age where museums have embraced the use of technology, specifically cellphones, by visitors as they tour exhibits. The Metropolitan Museum of Art took down their “No Cellphones” signs back in 2011 and have even revamped their website to allow easier viewing on smartphone screens. This new digital experience has spread to museums across the globe to enhance the overall appreciation of art by viewers. In Museums Morph Digitally, Steve Lohr explains how today’s museum curators and administrators sound more like executives in media, retailing, consumer goods and other industries. “They talk of displaying their wares on “multiple platforms,” and the importance of a social media strategy and a “digital first” mind-set.”

Museum officials promise that this transformation will affect every aspect of museums, from how art and objects are presented and experienced, to what is defined as art. Current digital technologies being developed include augmented reality (a smart assistant software that delivers supplemental information or images related to an artwork to a smartphone), high-definition projections of artwork, and 3-D measurement and printing technology.

The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum will reopen in December offering its vision of a 21st-century design museum. Sixty percent more gallery space and new visitor experiences will be installed as a result of the three-year, $91 million renovation. Each visitor will receive a black pen stocked with a small amount of computer memory, a tiny radio for short-range communication, and a touch-sensitive stylus, which is used to write and draw on large interactive tables with touch-screen surfaces. The digital pen component of the redesigned museum is intended to “give visitors explicit permission to play and to explore the process of designing for themselves,” said Sebastian Chan, director of digital and emerging media at Cooper Hewitt. Visitors can use the wide range of the digital pen’s features in an “immersion room.” For example, a person can tap the pen on one of the many selections from the museum’s wallpaper design collection or design their own design on an interactive table. The wallpaper is then projected clearly throughout the room. In a different area, visitors can use their digital pens to annotate the designs of common objects with figments of their imagination. Mr. Chan said, “It’s a visual suggestion box to make things better.”

3-D technology is being increasingly used for conservation, research and public education programs at the Smithsonian Institution. The fine-grained scanning has become more valuable for data collection and analysis that wasn’t possible before. For instance, the gunboat Philadelphia is the last surviving cannon-bearing American vessel from the Revolutionary War. It has been 3-D scanned so that online viewers can see it from angles impossible to see in person at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. It has also been scanned regularly so conservators can see early warnings of deterioration of the historic boat built in 1776. Günter Waibel, director of the digitization program at the Smithsonian, said, “It’s incredible technology that will revolutionize not only how people experience objects,” he said, “but how we do research and science inside the museums.”

It’s quite amazing how much technology has influenced our lives in just the few short years its been around. Not only must we adapt to this ever-changing environment, but public institutions such as schools and museums must also revamp their practices to make their services tailored to people’s progressively technological needs. We have finally reached a day in which a visitor won’t be muzzled for using their cellphones in a museum. Instead, we’re encouraged to use a digital pen tool to project our imaginations onto immersion room walls. How cool is that?

12 Responses to "Total Technological Transformation"

anandpoonai says:

November 8, 2014 at 2:11 pm

After reading your article and response, I am still impressed with the technological innovation that is shifting to museums now. It seems as if the other day, museums had a strict policy with cellphone use, and now everything is changing in a unique manner. I really admire the advancement in technology because it represents how our society is deviating efficient ways to attract the general population. When you mentioned the immersion room and the digital pen, I was extremely impressed. It’s fascinating how one touch of a pen can create such a larger effect. The tidbit about 3-D technology really caught my attention because not only can it capture images that are hard to see to the casual eye, but viewers in a different location can see it. I couldn’t agree more with you when you say, “It’s quite amazing how much technology has influenced our lives in just the few short years its been around.” We’ve only lived for 18 years, and in that time span, technology has reached such copious heights. What’s more exciting is that technology is still expanding and we’re amidst a worldwide technological revolution.
Bethany Freynk says:

November 8, 2014 at 9:27 pm

Wow. I now cannot wait to visit the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design museum when it opens in 34 days. The idea to utilize technology in order to explore the arts is a fascinating new scientific field. Currently, many students are a lot more interested in their cell phone screens than in the arts. The museum’s initiative in creating interactive exhibits that combine high tech gadgets and design brings hope that future generations will be educated in studio art. I have been noticing the development of this immersive presentation of art all over the city. At the Museum of Art and Design by Columbus Circle, an artist has installed an “auto- selfie” machine that takes a picture of the visitor when they step onto a particular circle on the ground and smile. At the MOMA, an exhibit dedicated to the creation of video- games allows museum- goers to play the first video games ever developed, and then some. In general, such galleries are efficiently keeping up with the changing times in the technological world and are doing a magnificent job at balancing fine art with computers.
Layanah.Nsouli says:

November 9, 2014 at 1:47 am

There are definitely two ways that you can view this incorporation of technology into the world of art. It can either be seen as a way for art to become more interactive or it can be seen as a distraction from the art itself. I am between these two modes of thought. I see it as very similar to the incorporation of technology in the classroom. While students may find the classroom setting more engaging and interesting, it does take away focus from the material being taught. On the other hand, the inclusion of smart phones into art culture has allowed museums to keep up with the changing times and will hopefully continue to gain the attention of generations to come.
Beatrice Margolin says:

November 9, 2014 at 9:13 am

I think it is such a telling sign of how much technology influences and shapes our lives when a museum decides to incorporate the use of technological devices into not just a few choice exhibits but its entirety. Personally, I love when museums have interactive stations as I find it a good way to get engaged with the material presented to us, but the use of technology is often limited to science museums. The fact that this “digital first” mindset is increasingly spreading toward art and design makes me very excited. Art should be an interactive experience and we do live in an age that is basically a turning point between the past rarity of technology and its present ubiquity. I think the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum is rightly adapting to the changing and expanding technological landscape. I would love to visit it once it has reopened.
Sydney Marino says:

November 9, 2014 at 12:05 pm

I think it is very interesting and amazing what technology can do for society, specifically the humanities. I feel like, as many articles have presented, the idea of integrating technology does a couple of things for museums. First, it brings in more customers, especially a younger generation. Our generation and the one below us were basically born into the technological age, and thats why some of us have our interest piqued when we here “technology” being integrated into something. Some of us wouldn’t even go to a museum unless they brought something new to the table. It also helps the older crowd with viewing art works. Some of the older generations are hard of hearing or vision. At least now, they will be able to get a better look. Specifically, with that 3-D printer. Though, it could disinterest them because some of the technology may be too advanced for them, resulting in anger and discomfort. The second thing, is that this technology helps preserve the idea of a museum and the displays inside. Your bringing customers in, keeping museums alive. The artifacts or exhibits can now be constantly monitored, while the researchers can get constant updates about the condition of the displays. It is very fascinating.
krystalau says:

November 9, 2014 at 3:39 pm

I think it is really cool how museums are stepping up their technology game. Like we mention before in other New York Times Art blog, having these technological differences, can bring in the younger generation. Most of the kids these days are less likely to go to a museum for fun, so I believe by adding these fun technological features, it can really pull them in. It seems a great way for not just kids, but also for adults to learn and get the opportunity to interact with the pieces. I am so excited for this museum to open. I would love to go and use this magical pen. I also think 3D technology has allowed us to learn and preserve more things. It gives people the chance to see artifacts like never before.
holdencoreystein says:

November 10, 2014 at 7:26 am

I think the museums are making a good move by incorporating 21st century technology into their galleries and exhibits. However, I do not necessarily think that the technology upgrades are going to improve the attendance in the long-term. I feel most people who go to these newly remodeled museums are going based on gimmicky-like tools such as short distance radio pens. In other words, people who are appealed by the new technologies will not be visitors in the long-term because they would not have visited the museum otherwise. The administrators and curators of some museums have come up with a good short-term answer to the decline in visitors, however if there is any long-term prospect of keeping the doors open, there needs to be a shift in something other than radio frequency and viewing angle.
Isabel Vulakh says:

November 10, 2014 at 9:54 am

Incorporating technology into museums and art galleries is a great way to attract visitors. By giving visitors a digital black pen, a tiny radio, and a touch-sensitive stylus, the Smithsonian Design Museum is creating a more interactive experience that’ll help flourish people’s creativity. It’s great that more museums are taking the initiative to incorporate technology into their design or exhibits, and are adapting to what is most popular in today’s culture. I feel like this approach will make museums more fun and interesting, and will bring in more crowds into the museums resulting in happier museum-goers and museum directors.
michalsudo says:

November 10, 2014 at 7:23 pm

The addition of technology to history intending to make it more interesting is similar to the article posted way back in the beginning of the school year about the installment of “talking statues”. Museums could begin using a virtual guide, allowing for a more interactive and immersive experience. The idea of replicating exhibits, like the example of the cannon mentioned, sounds very innovative. The fact that the virtual presentation of exhibits allows viewers an experience that is less inhibitory than the physically guarded exhibits is a huge plus in favor of technology. Though the ability to see with great detail, with no restraint, is present in the virtual representation there is definitely a sense of awe that is being lost out on by not having a physical presence.
Ann Privorotskiy says:

November 11, 2014 at 1:26 am

Incorporating technology into the museum space will definitely benefit the museums that are allowing this modernization. Nowadays, with advancements in technology, many people are finding it less and less interesting to walk through an art gallery and simply look at the work. People want to be doing something and by implementing technology into museums, visitors will be able to have a more interactive experience. I know that personally, I enjoy the children museums a lot more than most other museums because at children’s museums there are many games and interactive activities that engage me along with other visitors, which makes us more prone to come back in the future.
stephenesses says:

November 11, 2014 at 2:20 pm

Its interesting to note how many of the recent posts have included technological advancements in many distinct fields of art. Technology has changes the way all of us live, and it is important for art to change with the times in order to remain relevant. All types of advancements in the arts must happen to keep the interest level. Children have become increasingly bored by things and can have trouble focusing without a technological aspect. Certainly to keep the arts progressing, we must engage children, and technology has become the main way to do that.
nicholasleung says:

November 16, 2014 at 7:56 pm

It’s amazing what art museums are doing with technology and their exhibits. Although a part of me wishes that cellphone use was limited in museums because people could be distracted, the other part is astounded by the integration of technology and visual art. To be able to see all these different angles of artwork could also benefit the art history community. Who knows, they one day may discover something completely new about a new piece of art because of this technology. No longer will art historians need to crane their necks uncomfortably to see something. Instead, technology will help evolve visual art and beyond.

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