Irina D. Costache | Das Kunstmuseum im digitalen Zeitalter – 2020

Irina D. Costache (California State University Channel Islands) - Museum Without Walls | Audience Without Borders | Art Without Frames

Museum Without Walls, the title of the 1947 book by the prominent French writer and politician André Malraux (1901-1976), has more meaning today then more than half-century ago when the author reflected on the impact of photographic reproductions on art. In the 21st century, museums have indeed become “institutions without walls,” (digitally) open 24/7 to an “audience without borders” who is able to engage with a broad range of art “without frames.”

If Initially museums were reluctant to embrace the Internet (their mission, after all is to display and educate about the value of originals, not digital reproductions, and provide audiences with meaningful real-life visits not sleek virtual tours), they quickly realized that a strong and savvy new media presence is essential to attract visitors. The abundance of inventive, meaningful and enjoyable digital features created by museums in the last few years have demystified their practices and have effectively engaged visitors in new experiences. These projects, which are continuously evolving, have also questioned and realigned (I believe in mostly positive ways) the value of art and its appreciation and have created new and valuable links between museums, other fields of study, pop culture and everyday life.

Using diverse projects as examples and utilizing SWOT, a business analytical method, this paper will critically analyze the role and impact of digital media in redefining the identity of museums and expanding “beyond their walls” to an “audience without borders” able to examine with novel tools and in new contexts “art without frames.”

https://www.belvedere.at/forschung/wissenschaftliche-veranstaltungen/digitalkonferenz2020