Re-exhibition: display strategies for virtual exhibition spaces

Abstract

This is a study of virtual exhibitions on the World Wide Web, with a focus on how designers and curators might resolve the challenge that an art exhibition, which typically exists as a physical in-person experience in three-dimensional space, now exists on a two-dimensional surface of the screen. From a survey of virtual art exhibitions published between the 1990s to 2023, this thesis will examine and discuss eight case examples, to show how virtual exhibitions repurpose the language of physical exhibitions – replicating, revising or redefining the typical techniques of display, such as the label, the frame, the vitrine, the plinth, the wall and the gallery. Looking at different aspects of this ‘re-exhibition’ process, the study will explore how virtual exhibitions might shape the perception and interactions between the observer and the object on display. Following this case study analysis, the method of inquiry incorporates practice-led design research, to investigate how museum conventions and systems of spatial representation are adapted for the screen, and the implications of engaging with other media such as architectural drawing or modelling, cinema and video games. The practical component of the thesis will experiment with display strategies that are unique to virtual spaces, and critically reflect on the role of virtual exhibitions in relation to contemporary exhibition design and curation.