Abstract
Lighting in museums is crucial for showcasing exhibits while controlling light exposure to protect sensitive artworks. But what about enhancing the visitor experience, especially for the visually impaired? This research began with extensive desktop studies and evolved through collaboration with professors at TH-OWL University in Detmold, Germany, who specialize in perception and spatial effects at the Institute for Design Strategies (IDS). Our partners include Sentistic, a startup providing sensors for anonymous space usage data, and Zumtobel, which supplied professional lighting equipment for our tests. We tested our hypotheses during a temporary exhibition on inclusion at DASA in Dortmund, Germany. The exhibition, titled “Respekt,” runs from May 2024 to February 2025. Our field study was divided into two phases to compare and assess lighting in different settings. The first phase used the museum’s standard lighting, while the second employed Zumtobel’s equipment to create a more balanced lighting scenario. Each phase lasted about one month. Our research utilized quantitative methods (photo surveys with 360° HDR imaging, statistical space usage data, and on-site light reflection measurements) and qualitative methods (interviews with visually impaired visitors and on-site observations). We gained significant insights from this initial study, which we aim to share with the museum community. We hope to engage more institutions in exploring how their spaces and exhibitions can better serve special visitors. While our focus began with the visually impaired, many other areas of inclusion remain to be researched. Our robust methodology can be applied to further studies in this field.
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
2024 Special Focus—Intersectionality: Museums, Inclusion, and SDGs
KEYWORDS
Lighting, Visitor, Experience, Visually Impaired, Inclusive Design, Perception, Research, Data
