Madhushree Kamak – Hacking the Museum

David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away), Lightroom, 2024 Photo: Madhushree Kamak

While at Delfina Foundation in the spring and summer of 2024 as a Brooks Fellow in partnership with Tate, art-science curator and information experience designer Madhushree Kamak conducted extensive research and produced an essay on the tensions around technology in the gallery. She explores the question: how can existing museums compete against the commercialisation of experience that borders on entertainment while maintaining their integrity and cultural mission?

Hacking the Museum: tensions around technology in the gallery
Madhushree Kamak

Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future – Neils Bohr

As technology changes the way we experience the world daily, museums and galleries find themselves at a crossroads. The post-pandemic landscape has created a unique dichotomy: on the one hand, people are weary of online experiences, leading to a renewed focus on public spaces; but on the other hand, they have become more familiar and comfortable with technology in their lives. This duality presents both challenges and opportunities for cultural institutions as they navigate the inevitable integration of technology into their spaces.

The growing expectations of visitors for experiential cultural spaces are reshaping the museum landscape. The younger generation of digital natives increasingly anticipates interactive and immersive experiences as the norm. This shift is forcing museums to reconsider how they execute their traditional roles as custodians of culture and history. The question arises: how can existing museums compete against the commercialisation of experience that borders on entertainment while maintaining their integrity and cultural mission?

To understand this tension, we must examine the three primary driving forces behind technological integration in museums: artist-led initiatives, visitor-led demands, and bottom line-led decisions. Each of these factors contributes to the evolving role of technology in cultural spaces, often in conflicting ways.

Artist-led technological integration has been a significant force in reshaping museum experiences. Ever since the days of E.A.T (Experiments in Art and Technology) at Bell Labs, we have been pushing the boundaries of what constitutes an artwork and how it can be experienced. Seminal exhibitions like Electronic Superhighway at Whitechapel Gallery have captured the story of 50 years of artists’ engagement with new technologies through some 100 artworks. Tate has been pioneering in this space by developing exhibitions like the Tate Sensorium and instituting the Infinity Commission in the Tanks. These initiatives showcase cutting-edge art forms and challenge visitors’ perceptions of what art can be. By incorporating technology as a medium, artists are creating works that are interactive, responsive, and participatory, blurring the lines between creator, artwork, and viewer.

Visitor-led technological integration focuses on improving the overall museum experience, enhancing the quality of visitor engagement, and increasing accessibility and inclusivity. This approach has led to the development of tools and applications designed to enrich the visitor experience. For instance, ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, developed AI-based label translation systems to break down language barriers and make exhibitions more accessible to international visitors. Similarly, the Centre Pompidou’s natural language processing based chatbot is a conversational guide and navigational tool that helps visitors navigate complex museum spaces and engage more deeply with the artworks.

Collection search tools have also been revolutionised by AI, such as the online tool developed by Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) that can search every image in every frame of their video collection. These tools allow visitors to explore vast collections in intuitive and personalised ways. Additionally, on-site experiential tools like ACMI’s Lens and the Cleveland Museum of Art’s ArtLens further bridge the gap between physical and digital experiences, providing visitors with rich, interactive ways to engage with large, diverse and often inaccessible collections of artworks. Museums are also leveraging technology to encourage arts engagement beyond the gallery walls. The Tate Drawing Bar, developed in collaboration with Bloomberg, and the National Gallery’s mobile AR game and online Roblox game ‘Keeper of Paintings’ exemplify how institutions are using digital platforms to extend the museum experience and creatively engage young visitors.

However, the integration of technology is not without its challenges. Bottom line-led technological decisions often prioritise commercial interests over artistic or educational ones. Data tracking systems are used to push commercial offers in museum shops, websites and cafes, raising questions about visitor privacy and the commercialisation of cultural spaces. Experimentation with the selling of Web 3.0-based art souvenirs, an extension of the traditional art print model, further blurs the line between art appreciation and consumption. However, given the reduction in public funding for museums and the increasing costs of artistic production, site maintenance and staffing, economic concerns are a pressing issue for most cultural institutions. These commercial applications of technology in museums contrast with the institution’s traditional role as a public space for learning and contemplation. While they may generate much-needed revenue, they risk turning museums into retail spaces, potentially alienating visitors from less privileged backgrounds.

Moreover, technology in museums is fallible, expensive, and requires regular maintenance and skilled personnel to manage it. Is it a worthwhile investment? The answer, despite these challenges, appears to be yes. The benefits of enhanced visitor engagement, increased accessibility, and the ability to showcase cutting-edge art forms outweigh the drawbacks for many institutions.

However, visitor reactions to technological integration in museums are often mixed. Digital natives, particularly younger people, tend to resonate with and respond to technological experiences in cultural spaces. They appreciate the ability to move at their own pace by bringing the aesthetic experience onto their personal devices, simultaneously being able to connect with other like-minded peers through online platforms and engage with additional content layered onto the exhibition. Those less familiar and comfortable with technology may find these additions distracting, unnecessary, or even alienating, preferring more traditional modes of engagement with artworks. The generational and economic divide already present in society becomes acutely manifest in the museum experience.

As museums continue to navigate this complex landscape, they must carefully consider how technology aligns with their mission and values. The friction between innovation and tradition, between commercial interests and cultural preservation, will likely persist. A thoughtful integration of technology to enhance, rather than distract, from the core cultural experience, is the way that museums and galleries can ensure engaging, inclusive environments for future audiences.