Does the Construction of Personal Meaning from Museum Artifacts Change with Contextual Variation

Angel, Christine

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/15284 Copy

Description

Title

Does the Construction of Personal Meaning from Museum Artifacts Change with Contextual Variation

Author(s)

Angel, Christine

Issue Date

2009-02-08

Keyword(s)

• museums
• metadata
• three-dimensional objects

Abstract

The purpose of my study is to find out if the construction of personal meaning from museum artifacts change with contextual variation. From this statement the question I am asking is “How do children construct personal meaning from museum artifacts and how do they describe the artifacts in different formats? The “different formats” I am referring to are the online three-dimensional digital artifact versus the physical object and questioning if online representations of museum artifacts convey the ideas, values, and knowledge outcomes originally intended by the primary curator. The contextual variation I am observing of museum artifacts within the digital environment is the three-dimensional context specifically utilizing Arius3D technology. When describing what the three-dimensional environment is, Dr. Brad Eden, author of Information Visualization, indicates the one-dimensional context involves text only. Examples of the two-dimensional context are the pictures we see in paper and on computer screens. They exist as a flat object with no depth. The three-dimensional context goes beyond this because it incorporates depth or volume with the image. This is big picture, or the “So what?” of this study. That is “Do online representations of museum artifacts convey the ideas, values, and knowledge outcomes originally intended by the primary curator?” When the curator of a museum displays artifacts within an exhibit specific pieces are chosen and set up within the museum space with a specific goal in mind. The artifacts chosen by the curator are placed in public view and within a certain space contained in the museum on purpose. That purpose for the curator is to convey an idea or to tell a specific story about a particular culture the piece represents. There are certain knowledge outcomes the curator would like the museum visitor to leave with. These knowledge outcomes are going to differ from one person to another because of previous experiences every individual has had in the world. These experiences define how the world works and where one fits into that world as individuals. Artifacts are displayed within a museum environment for the purpose of conveying an idea or value held by a culture, thereby creating a knowledge outcome for the benefactor. This is why I am inquiring if the construction of personal meaning from museum artifacts changes with contextual variation. I am interested in determining if the ideas, values, and knowledge outcomes meant to be translated to the museum visitor via digital interface are translated?

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/15284

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