'Shivers Down Your Spine': Panoramas, Museums, and the History of Interactive Technologies

FAIN: FT-51718-03

Alison Griffiths
CUNY Research Foundation, Bernard Baruch College (New York, NY 10010-5585)

Addressing some of the central theoretical problems in the history of visual culture and museums, this project analyzes the impact of new media technologies, such as Imax films, multi-media installations, and interactive exhibits, on the representation of knowledge in museums of science and natural history. Through an analysis of historical precursors to contemporary museum practices, the project considers the manner in which the introduction of new media in museums invokes long-standing oppositions between science and spectacle, information and entertainment, and passive and interactive exhibits.