Museums and a Sense of Space

I have had to write this blog post several times. At one point it was a 12 page essay that frankly nobody should ever have to read. So today I will try and keep it short and sweet. The problem is that for me, a sense of space is an intuitive idea, one that is easier to feel than it is to understand. So you must forgive me if everything that comes next is total nonsense.

What is a Sense of Space?

When visiting a museum I always ask the question, would this topic be better taught with a documentary or a book? Sadly, for many the real answer is perhaps a yes. So instead we need to ask the question: What is the advantage of this being a museum? 

For me then the inherent advantage is that a museum is located is a place that you must go to (digital collections and virtual museums are a discussion for another time). It is a good idea then to use the experience of being in a physical space to your advantage. This is what a refer to as a sense of space, a leveraging of the physical surroundings.

How to Build a Sense of Space

This sense of space can mean many different things to many different museums. For a science centre it can be about having bright colourful artwork, high tech displays and the booming sound of science experiments. For a historical collection it could be that it is set in an ancient castle where the rooms are set up as they would have been at the time.

Some places come with an inherent sense of space, such as the Intrepid Museum being contained within an old Aircraft Carrier. Others have to build it through careful use of displays, scenery, and even a little lighting and sound design such as my top rated museum of Berlin, Samurai Museum Berlin.

Image of the Outside of the Intrepid Museum (Image from the Intrepid Museum)

Whatever you do it comes down to an idea of making sure that when the person is in the space physically, they are also there mentally. It’s about making it more than just a collection but a whole experience surrounding that.

Not Just Immersion

An experience being ‘Immersive’ is one of those terms being bandied about a lot at the moment to the point where it doesn’t really mean anything anymore. There is also a potential accusation that what I'm advocating for is the dressing up of a museum to be a theme park. Something that focuses on style over substance. 

This is categorically not what I'm recommending, but that’s not to say that we can’t learn and take things from theme parks. Consider for example the difference that could be made (especially for child audiences) by having museum staff in some basic costuming that makes them look like adventurers or scientists. How far even a small amount of scenery can really enhance the feeling of a space. Or just how items can be displayed in a cabinet that’s a bit more interesting than another plain white background.

This is something that display boards, audio guides, tours, lightning, and every single other part of the design of the space could be used to help with. It shouldn’t be the sole goal of an exhibit but with some mindful consideration it can really help bring a space to life.

Image from the British Library’s Fantasy: Realms of Imagination Exhibit that uses moody lighting and some Theatre style scenery to help build a sense of space (Image from the Urban Explorer)

A Feeling

As mentioned I have tried to pour out the words to describe exactly what I mean but I have failed time and time again. It’s one of those ‘I know it when I see it’ type things and hard to discuss in the abstract. This is highly annoying for perhaps one of my most foundational tenets of museum design, but I hope that in this brief consideration that it has given you some idea. I am always open to discussing it further especially in relation to something specific.