VIDEO GAME NARRATIVES IN EXHIBIT DESIGN: THE THESIS OF ANDREY MINTCHEV

Final Project Reflections | Caitlin McCurdy

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The number of students who choose to do the thesis stream of the MMSt program is considerably smaller than those who choose the exhibition project route. One of these students is Andrey Mintchev, and he very kindly took the time to answer some of my questions about his path to the thesis stream.

His decision to pursue a thesis occurred after taking Velian Pandeliev’s course INF2164H: UX Research and Design for Video Games. He described the class as a study of the positive impact that UX-forward thinking has on elements such as level design and gameplay in video games. He then thought to himself, “Is anyone doing this in museum studies? How awesome would it be if museums felt like videogames?” As he discussed this idea with Prof. Pandeliev and continued learning more about human-computer interactive (HCI) sciences and their research methods, he realized that there wasn’t a particular class on this topic, and that his new conception of an amalgamation of gaming and museology would be best realized in a thesis. 

Courtesy of Andrey Mintchev.

Andrey has a very interesting story about how he came to meet his thesis supervisor, Tony Tang:

“I was waiting for the light to go green on Saint George and Bloor, when I overheard a conversation between two people, who were discussing something about AR. The one guy responded with a “I don’t know Tony, but that sounds interesting” and I immediately assumed that it was Tony Tang. I sheepishly interrupted with a “hi, sorry, but are you Tony Tang? I want to talk to you about turning museums into a VR world”, to which he pleasantly offered up his email.

Andrey then fulfilled his research methods course requirement with a reading course overseen by Prof. Tang, where he was able to make connections between HCI and museology and began to work out his ideas for his thesis. Andrey’s final thesis proposal was the fourth or fifth iteration of his initial idea, and it was at this point that he approached Costis Dallas about being his second reader.

When I asked Andrey for the elevator pitch for the current iteration of his thesis, he was kind enough to give me the short elevator ride pitch, the slightly longer elevator ride pitch, and the elevator ride to the penthouse pitch. Here’s what he said:

“My thesis is on applying videogame level design and narrative design to exhibit design. What I’ve done is record 14 hours of gameplay between five games that boast a compelling narrative, recorded every instance where the story was being conveyed and what the level in that moment looked like, and then produced 598 lines of code to synthesize each screenshot into qualitative data. The idea is to use my synthesized data to identify the best practices for level design and narrative design and apply them to the reinterpretation of an existing museum exhibit. The final deliverable should produce a compelling exhibit that improves on the existing one.”

Courtesy of Andrey Mintchev

This all sounds very fascinating to me, as someone doing an almost entirely theoretical thesis based in historical research and epistemological philosophizing. I’m excited to see the final product of Andrey’s work, I think his research could definitely shed light on how video game practices could innovate our approaches to exhibit design.

Courtesy of Andrey Mintchev

I asked Andrey to give one tip for prospective students considering the thesis stream, and his answer was very insightful.

“There is no right or wrong stream at our school, but if you’ve got this awesome idea, I promise you that our faculty will do everything it can to help [you] walk out of this program with a publication that you’ll be proud of.”

Ultimately, if you have an idea you can’t get out of your head that you’ve brought into the program with you, you can make the thesis stream work for you, and you control the subject, process, and end result of your work, with insight along the way from your very knowledgeable supervisor(s). Andrey also pointed out that this control is fairly unique to the thesis stream, as the final exhibition project is subject to variables like the makeup of your student group and the flexibility of your industry partner. To give Andrey the last word, “Real-talk, it’s the most academically satisfying thing you can do if you hate group work.”

AUGMENTED REALITY IN MUSEUMS: DINOSAURS, COLOURING BOOKS AND PAINTINGS, OH MY!

MUSEUM INNOVATIONS

BY: CASSY KIST

It has officially been over a month since Nuit Blanche and now that we are halfway through the term I think it is an excellent time for reflection! One art piece I found innovative and intriguing was "The Merging" on display at OCAD University.

THE MERGING

This 2D art mural by Nicola Verato is brought to life using an app designed by SE3D interactive, which could be downloaded onto your smartphone or used on the ipads that the University provided. 

By focusing the ipad on the painting the image is stirred into movement and viewers can move through and look around what appears to be a 3D room. This gave the painting depth, merging outsiders with a virtual world.

What would happen if museums used similar augmented reality applications to add context, movement, sound and or even texture to artefacts?
Your phone or ipad would become a story telling treasure chest.

Museums are already stretching their virtual reality muscles; the Smithsonian has an app available for their Skin and Bone Hall at the ANHM. By downloading the app and using the exhibit's trigger images, visitors can see how the skeletons of animals and fish would have looked in the flesh. 

AMNH Bone Hall. Source

The Royal Ontario Museum has also been experimenting with augmented reality. If you visit the museum today make sure to check out their fossilised T-Rex which has a quirky modification. A stationary ipad brings the T-rex to life with whom you can then take a selfie!

At the Royal Ontario Museum. Source

I for one would love to enter the Egyptian tomb at the ROM and be able to see, using augmented reality, how it might have looked centuries ago when the doors were first sealed.

Egyptian Tomb at the ROM. Source.

Many big corporations are adopting and creating augmented reality apps to facilitate new experiences. Disney for one, is creating an app that animates colouring pages. As an individual colours a paper page, a 3D character comes to life on an ipad - even with movement and texture.

This has made me consider the possibility of museums adding virtual reality components to portions of their exhibit catalogues.

 For instance, imagine a catalogue in which artefacts can be popped into 3D using an ipad or smartphone and examined from all angles. This would change the game of accessibility but also possession; how would it feel to examine a virtual piece in your own home?

Individuals who tested the Disney colouring pages said they felt more connected to the virtual characters. Could 3D apps connect museum goers and catalogue pursuers with the objects and stories therein? 

Disney’s Developing colouring app.Source 

Do I secretly want one of these for mid-semester stress relief? Yes, yes I do. 

AUGMENTING THE MUSEUM: 2 AUGMENTED REALITY APPS

TECHNOLOGY TUESDAYS

BY: NATANIA SHERMAN

A view through Museum of London's Street Museum App (Source)

Happy Tuesday! Like most museum frequenters, I often wish that the objects in museums could come to life. Wouldn't it be nice to actually experience what it felt like to live in the past? Well today's article is all about Augmented Reality (AR) and will highlight a few museum apps that use this technology to enhance their artifacts, interpretation and even the cities they live in to help give visitors a view of the past.

1. The Museum of London's Street Museum App is a mobile phone application that uses GPS technology and augmented reality to overlay historical photographs of London over views of the city in real time. The application includes a map highlighting sites that feature augmented reality, so that users can take a tour through London's past and experience all of the sites, usually tourist destinations, that are tagged with historic photographs. Additionally while many users may delight in the juxtaposition of past and present, those with an interest in the history have access to information about the photograph's context and the history of the tagged site. This groundbreaking mobile app has resulted in some amazing images of London and is notable in that it extends the Museum of London's interpretation beyond it's walls and into the city itself.

2. The Royal Ontario Museum's (ROM's) Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants of Gondwana exhibition was one of the museum's more well-known forays into the field of AR. In this case, the technology was used not to bring a city to life rather to help visitors experience dinosaurs as they were when the Earth had only two continents. In the Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibition from 2012, iPads supplied by the museum allowed visitors to bring the terrifying Giganotosaurus to life by overlaying a rendering of what the gigantic dino would have looked like while alive over the skeleton in the exhibition. As well, there were information hotspots scattered throughout the exhibition to add more layers of information.

I hope this article sheds some light on just a few of the exciting possibilities of augmented reality.

7 WAYS MUSEUMS CAN USE AUGMENTED REALITY

TECHNOLOGY TUESDAYS

BY: ORVIS STARKWEATHER


For the past couple of weeks, my Snapchat has been exploding with videos featuring their new Augmented Reality (AR) enhanced filters. While I have been fascinated with Augmented Reality for quite some time, many of my friends haven’t been quite so enthusiastic. While most of them are still more interested in debating social justice strategies and gushing over the latest Steven Universe episode than exploring the questions Augmented Reality raises, I still feel like a subtle shift happened.

AR has been heralded as a responsive, immersive experience that holds promise for museums as a way to better integrate their collections with the virtual world. But it would be hasty to throw money and resources at any project without assessing the institution's goals and devising a calculated strategy on meeting those targets. With the aim of furthering the discussion on how AR can be used as a tool, I offer these 7 ways the technology can be integrated into museums:

1. Enhancing a Sense of Place Outside of Museum Walls

From traditional walking tours to public artworks to commemorative plaques, wanting to extend history and art experiences beyond the museum are nothing new. Most museum professionals have probably encountered this idea before in the media coverage of apps like the Museum of London’s StreetMuseum app. GPS coordinates are used to trigger the AR features, creating a new way to experience the space. 

2. Games and Play in Museum and Gallery Settings

Again, Museums and Gallery spaces have a long history of incorporating games and play into their programs, but AR offers more options on the kinds of games that can be played. The immediate feedback generated by AR, can lead participants to be more aware of how their bodies move and interact with space. Much like a dérive, an AR game can provide a method for experiencing sites to generate new connections or new ways of seeing. Anyone up for an Augmented Reality scavenger hunt in a historic house?

3. Animating Static Objects and Displays

To ensure the longevity of its objects, many museums are littered with glass cages and no touching warnings that ensure the objects are viewed statically. AR can provide a way to animate artifacts and restore a sense of their original state. A Toronto-based example of this would be the Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana exhibit where AR was used to show how the bones would have moved.

4. Labeling and Identifying

When looking at a complex object, it may be difficult to pick out relevant information. Providing identifying notations or instructions can offer users a rewarding experience when puzzling over an object. It’s a great way to break information down into manageable chunks and reduce user frustration while learning.

5. Juxtaposition, Interventions, and Other Changes to Setting-based Narratives

Objects and architecture face many constraints to the settings in which they can be displayed. The use of juxtaposition such as displaying a forgery beside the original and interventions into the museum spaces like WeARinMoMA where unsanctioned artworks were displayed using AR within the MoMa offer possibilities to alter what stories are told. While museums support some of these AR applications, others are made by people outside of the institution which has the possibility of creating more democratic exhibits.

Leeser Architecture, part of ‘Augmented Reality’ at the Omi International Arts Center. Source.

6. Exposing Hidden Parts

Normally, we are limited to only being able to see the outer layer of an object, but AR can be used to showcase parts of an object happening under the surface. X-rays can be overlayed on paintings, and the face of a clock can be stripped away to reveal its inner workings. Some institutions have also been investing in visible storage to display parts of the collection that normally would remain hidden to visitors. AR could be used to generate similar experiences, where 3D scanned objects are displayed to scale and can be manipulated by viewers.

7. Trying on Historic Costumes

There are many museums that already feature historical reconstructions of dress-up clothes, but you could easily kick your next selfie up a notch by augmenting it with a divine period piece. The low-risk nature of the AR and the ease at which one can change outfits should allow more people to engage. This will be a great strategy for generating social media buzz about an exhibition.

Want more information on Augmented Reality in Museums? Here are a couple entry points to get you started: 

- Geoffrey Alan Rhodes youtube video AR on AR: Future Museums Now - Augmented Reality Musings 

- Gabriel Resch’s MI thesis Vision-based Augmented Reality for Formal and Informal Science Learning