Augmenting the Gallery: Augmented Reality in Exhibition Spaces

Wall labels, audio guides, and informative maps are just some of the ways by which galleries and museums convey information and hidden narratives about a collection. Given the changing role of museums and galleries in the 21st century, how can we utilize new tools such as Augmented Reality (AR) to design and deliver immersive experiences that breathe new life into an exhibit? How can such tools do so without distracting from the power and importance of a collection, or by purposefully challenging problematic aspects such as an exhibit's disputed provenance or ethical concerns? And how can these tools make collections more accessible to a wider audience? This course mobilizes resources from museography, art history, sociology, interaction design and 3D, real-time development to answer these questions. Topics covered include exhibition installation and curation, mixed reality production in Unity, and mobile development for Augmented Reality. The course is open to students from a variety of academic backgrounds interested in gaining hands-on experience in applying new technologies to exhibition spaces.