Abstract
Artworks in museums are often presented with accompanying information, ostensibly to increase understanding, and therefore appreciation, for the artwork, the creator, and/or the larger context. Though the research base supporting the efficacy of these practices is strong, fewer experimental studies have directly explored the impacts that information — and different kinds of information — have on the perceptual processes underlying art viewing (and appreciation). Over the past three years, we conducted three museum studies of art perception, in which presenting information was a critical variable. In each, we used a combination of mobile eye-tracking and questionnaires to assess participants’ engagement with, and appreciation of, artworks. Two studies conducted in Belgium, hosted at the BAC Art Lab and at KADOC, featured artworks from contemporary Flemish artists. Participants viewed the artworks in the exhibition before and after watching video interviews from the artists explaining their techniques and creative processes, allowing us to determine the effect that these explanations had on the viewing processes. The third study, conducted at the Manchester Art Gallery in England, manipulated the content of the information (art historical or visual thinking) presented audibly by guides while slow-looking at still-life artworks. This paper presents an overview of the common findings from these studies, as well as the specific caveats and limitations of each, in a synthesis of our work on the role of informational context on visitors’ art perception (eye gaze and exhibition navigation behaviours) and appreciation (aesthetic and emotional responses to the artworks).
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Museum Studies, Art Perception, Empirical Aesthetics, Mobile Eye Tracking
