On Tue, 19 Mar 1996 14:04:41 -0500  Musynergy wrote:
>I think most museum staff and visitors would agree that labels have
>improved as we've strived to focus on the visitors' experience and to
use
>fewer, more understandable words.  A current exhibit design project in a
>new children's museum has lead me to explore the implications of taking
>this approach to extreme lengths.  The founders' philosophy is that all
>exhibits in the museum are totally experience based and that there is no
>need for labels of any kind.  They believe that any relevant concepts or
>essential information can be conveyed in programming.
>
>I'd like to know if any of you have experience with labeless exhibits.
Is
>it possible to design an effective exhibit without any words?  If so,
what
>suggestions do you have re: guidelines to follow or pitfalls to avid?
How
>do visitors respond.  Do they enjoy the experience or do they demand
>labels?  If they do, how does staff respond after an exhibit has already
>opened?
>
>Although this particular question involved a children's museum, I'd be
>interested in responses from other types of museum as well.  Thanks in
>advance for sharing your experience and intuition.
>
>Daryl Fischer
>
A a museum professional, I can't think of anything more frustrating than
label design and writing.  As a (adult) museum visitor, I can't think of
anything more irritating than an exhibition without  labels. It's like
going to a supermarket where the products aren't marked with prices.  One
feels cheated out of the basic information one needs. (I'm sure, though,
that it works for young kids far better than for adults).
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Name: amalyah keshet
visual resources / the israel museum, jerusalem
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Date: 03/20/96
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