Background

The Art@NAC Project benefits from a larger collaborative research project between the National Art Centre (NAC) and Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS). NAC is known for being the performing arts organization of Ottawa. The interior of the building contains works by various artists from different eras, yet visitors and tourists should pay more attention to these precious works of art. In this project, we developed a digital storytelling project focusing on the visual artwork of the NAC.

Research

Mark Walhimer summarizes the four stages of museum development and proposes the theory of museum generations, which can help us understand the critical differences in the evolution of museums. I integrated and visualized his idea to make the image below. In the overall development process, the museum has always been moving towards a human-centred approach and enhancing interactivity.

Museum 4.0 advocates a concept without walls, meaning that the experience should not be limited to the museum's interior but rather a collection of three states before, during, and after the visit. Museum 4.0 should consist of the first three generations of museum technology, spanning both the physical and digital worlds.

Digital exhibits are also a tremendous achievement to be in the evolution of Museum 4.0. To enhance the value of collection utilization and to popularize the background of artworks to a broader audience, numerous museums have started to build digital archives, which can show details that were previously difficult to see on a field visit very clearly online by taking 360-degree enlargements of exhibits.

While researching, I interviewed various individuals within the art field, including curators and artists, to determine their perspectives on museum development and marketing strategies. Everyone expressed their anticipation of what VR technology might bring to museums. However, at the same time, we need to consider the cost of such technology, as well as the feasibility. The biggest concern they show is that virtual museums must fully showcase the artwork's charm and texture.

Challenge

We can download a large number of high-resolution artwork images via the Internet. However, with the recomposition of the shots, the native detail and volume of the artwork are destroyed. We can visit a virtual museum through VR, but based on current technology, it is difficult to see the details of the work with lower-resolution VR glasses. It isn't easy to think of a foolproof way to present a work of art's integrity digitally. Therefore, going to the field to see actual work is the best and irreplaceable way to appreciate art. This project attempts to highlight the story behind the artwork through an online exhibition to help the viewer improve their knowledge of it.

The overall concept of this project is built on the theoretical framework of Museum 4.0, which aims to aid museum storytelling through digital HCI. This project was divided into two parts: one for storytelling through mobile prototyping and the other for storytelling through interactive web pages.

Determine a Clear Narrative

When people enter art museums, they are often attracted by exquisite and magnificent artworks. However, the stories behind these artworks are rarely mentioned. When artworks lack a story behind them, they are losing their soul. We cannot understand what the artist was thinking, let alone recognize the more profound meaning expressed by the artwork. Therefore, the cornerstone of my immersive narrative experience is the story behind the artwork, focusing on:

• The artist's life.

• The history and genre of the artwork.

• The hidden meanings behind it.

  
  

  

Both parts of the project use a similar card-based design to ensure that the essential information is delivered. They both take up a large portion of the screen to guide the user directly.

Build a comprehensive narrative for the virtual experience

During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual museums were an effective way for people to relieve stress at home and learn about the background of art. The targeted media of virtual museums are online websites and applications. Using various interactive components, we significantly enhanced user engagement and the freshness of exploring the artwork.

During the process of building the web page, I wanted the user to have an exploratory mindset to learn about art. Therefore, I made a lot of interactive content on the webpage, such as mouse hover interaction, drag-and-drop exploration, a distinctive navigation bar, a 360-degree experience, etc. Because people always like to have something fun, these interactive experiences can significantly enhance the user experience and reduce the anxiety caused by boring text.

Placing the navigation within a page at the bottom is a relatively bold decision, which can be a considerable learning challenge for users. In today's page design, the navigation bar is often placed at the top or side of the page. However, this navigation bar is counter-intuitive because, within this page, it may be more in line with the user's physiological intuition that people always navigate the page from top to bottom. Users can easily click on the page topic and jump to the corresponding location. In subsequent user feedback, most people also tend to say the design is innovative and helpful.

Conclusion

With a timeline of about a few months, I explored several concepts, narrowed in on a direction with stakeholder buy-in, and with Prof. Katie's guidance and assistance to polish the final result.

Project Web Link: https://cusjc.ca/MPAD2002W21/homage-to-rfk-cls-group/
Mobile Prototype Link: https://xd.adobe.com/view/4652a93e-b0ff-43ce-902a-aece9ecd819c-1301/

❤️ Special Thanks

Katie Graham: Instructor, Carleton University.
Robert Vanderberg: Archivist& Curator, NAC.
Cassandra Yanez-Leyton: TA, Carleton University.