Thirteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Historic cities provide a palimpsest of heritage ephemera, informing visitors of an entire chronology, culture, and part while accommodating the daily lives of modern inhabitants. In this way, the city is not only an active environment, but a living museum, requiring the same interpretive features as any historical museum, but with the added challenges of size, active population, and dispersed architectural artifacts. Alongside these challenges, however, is the added opportunity to design solutions that encourage visitor inclusivity and accommodate diverse visitor needs. These theories were applied to an interpretive project for the historic city of Columbus, Indiana USA. The city features numerous modernist architectural masterpieces by internationally renowned designers, including Eliel and Eero Saarinen, Harry Weese, and Dan Kiley. While the Modernist movement in the United States has provided significant discourse for the architectural context as part of a theoretical tableau, Columbus has seen little investment in an interpretive program that would bring information to the visiting public. In response, the Columbus Indiana Augmented Reality Project provides a test case for interpreting living historic cities through non-invasive measures so as not to interfere with city life. Using a combination mobile application and web platform, the visitor becomes an explorer, navigating the heritage of the city, selecting personalized information through a democratic and inclusive method. As the historic city considers itself an incubator for emerging technologies, the augmented reality application contextually aligns with a pedagogical practice in the city, and makes the human central to the living heritage museum.