Fine arts museums and visitor behaviour : the influence of space onto the visitor behaviour and interaction with exhibits

Abstract

Visitor behaviour in a museum is highly impacted by the space and the exhibits that are displayed in the space. “How visitors circulate through museums determines what they will see, where they will focus their attention, and, ultimately, what they will learn and experience” (Bitgood, 2006, p.463). Inspired by the works of Bollo & dal Pozzolo (2006), Tzortzi (2014) and Tröndle (2014), this research aims to address the existing gap between different aspects of visitor behaviour. Besides analyzing how space can influence visitor behaviour, this research also focuses on the influence of the exhibit onto the visitor behaviour. This study investigates a fine arts museum, specifically the outdoor sculpture garden. Due to the size of the outdoor sculpture garden, this research is focused on specific locations; four intersections and five exhibit locations have been chosen to study in further depth. These locations have been chosen because they contain characteristics that are important for visitor behaviour, such as location in the park, distance from the path, visibility, exhibit aesthetics and exhibit uniqueness. A quantitative research approach was adopted and data collection was gathered whilst observing 180 visitors; 20 visitors have been observed in depth per location. The observation was unobtrusive and allowed the researcher to observe visitors without any form of interaction; leading to key findings on visitors’ behaviour to come to light. These key findings are classified under themes such as movement patterns, stopping behaviour, wayfinding and focuses on how the space influences the visitor behaviour. The latter part of the research is a deeper investigation into the interaction between visitor and exhibit and how the outdoor sculpture garden influences this level of attraction between the two elements. It discusses the relation between the visitor and the exhibit; their interaction through movement, contact and engagement, and the type of activities performed at stopping moments. Furthermore, it questions whether there is a hierarchy in the key factors of space that influence the visitors’ behaviour as well as the interaction with the exhibits. The research allowed tracing the visitor in a multiplicity of aspects such as the visitors’ profile (only approximate age reference), mode of attendance but also on behavioral characteristics such as movement patterns, stopping behaviour, attraction index and holding power index. Furthermore, the in depth observation allowed for results on the level of interaction between the visitor and exhibit, referring to the visitors’ movement, type of activities performed, distance between visitor and exhibit and ultimately what has attracted the visitor to interact with the exhibit. Movement maps, thermographic mapping and a rating scheme have been applied to analyze the data and to distinguish important features of the chosen exhibit. Furthermore, these methods allowed for a comparison to be made between all specific locations. This study concluded that the outdoor sculpture garden influences visitor behaviour; the path created by the curator and architect guides the visitor through the outdoor sculpture garden. The design of the path and the determined distance between the visitor and exhibit influences the level of visibility, and indirectly influences the level of attraction towards an exhibit. However, this statement shows only one side of the coin; the exhibit itself also plays an important role and influences visitor behaviour in terms of movement, attraction and type of interaction. This study concluded that visibility to the exhibit, exhibit aesthetics and uniqueness are crucial design features; these key factors portray more influence onto the visitors’ behaviour than the distance between the exhibit and the path or the location of the exhibit in the park. Exhibits that are high in aesthetics and uniqueness showcase a higher percentage of stopping moments, activities performed and type of activities performed such as touching and taking photographs. Visitor behaviour can be seen as an interplay between the museum space, visitor and exhibits on display. Although interaction with the visitor was not permitted (due to Covid-19) during this study, this third dimension has been kept in mind. Ultimately, it is the visitor who is individually influenced by the space and exhibits. However, this study concluded that although visitors are individuals, they can behave similarly; the hot zones in the thermographic mapping confirm that there is a common path that visitors take. The similarity in behaviour is also noticed in the findings on stopping moments: cluster formations conclude that many visitors stop in front of exhibits that are highly visible. Conclusively, the findings of this study aim to provide useful information for curators and architects in order to design and accommodate existing museum spaces to allow for the best and most pleasant visitor experience.