EXHIBITING ARCHITECTURE:THE VISITOR‘S PERSPECTIVE

Riklef RambowChair of Theory of ArchitectureFaculty of Architecture and Urban PlanningBrandenburg Institute of TechnologyCottbus, Germany

PRACTICAL BACKGROUND:‚BUILDING CULTURE‘

Goal: Fostering knowledge about and interest in architecture among the public

Means: Architecture in schools; nationwide „day of architecture“, citywide „architecture festivals“, brochures, exhibitions etc.

Common condition for success: Relevance and comprehensibility for experts and non-experts alike

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND:THE PSYCHOLOGY OFEXPERT-LAYPERSON-COMMUNICATION

Systematic differences in perspective between architects and laypersons (cf. Hershberger, Nasar et al., Gifford et al., Rambow...)

Systematic biases/mistakes in experts‘ anticipations of laypersons‘ perspective (cf. Rambow, 2000)

Characteristic of architecture: Dominance of visual communication

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Architecture exhibitions are an interesting real-life interface between experts and laypersons

Practical importance: The number of exhibitions and institutions (architecture centers and museums) is steadily increasing

Suitability to investigation: The circumstances of the communication are clearly defined (restricted time, uni-directional, similar interest etc.)

Setting: Two exhibitions of comparable scope, comparable content (newest architecture) and comparable structure (project-centered) at the German Architecture Museum, Frankfurt/Main

EXHIBITION 1: OVERVIEW

EXHIBITION 1:PROJECTDISPLAY

EXHIBITION 2: OVERVIEW

EXHIBITION 2: PROJECT/OFFICE DISPLAY

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Are the exhibitions evaluated differently by experts and laypersons?

Are particular media used and evaluated differently by experts and laypersons?

If so, then what reasons are given for these differences by experts and laypersons?

METHOD

Questionnaires (N= 691) and face-to-face-interviews (N = 188), administered directly after the visit

Questionnaires: General evaluation on the dimensions ‚interesting‘, ‚comprehensible‘, ‚entertaining‘

Interviews: Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of individual media (texts, pictures, videos, models)

Post hoc differentiation between experts, intermediates and laypersons

GENERAL EVALUATION:„INTERESTING“

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Experts Intermediates Laypeople

Exhibition 1Exhibition 2

GENERAL EVALUATION:„COMPREHENSIBLE“

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Experts Intermediates Laypeople

Exhibition 1Exhibition 2

GENERAL EVALUATION:„ENTERTAINING“

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Experts Intermediates Laypeople

Exhibition 1Exhibition 2

EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL MEDIA:EXHIBITION 1

EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL MEDIA:EXHIBITION 2

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Texts Pictures Videos

ExpertsIntermediatesLaypeople

QUALITATIVE EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL MEDIA

Models: Three-dimensionality and high level of control are highly estimated by experts and laypersons alike

Videos: Low level of control; lack of orientation and information

Texts: Laypersons need more structure and less detail

Pictures: Laypersons need accompanying information and clear cross-references

CONCLUSIONS

Exhibitions can be a powerful tool to communicate architecture to the public

Exhibitions can be designed in a way that meets the needs of experts and non-experts alike

For this, the selection, the design and the coordination (cross-referencing) of exhibition elements (media) must take psychological criteria into account

Of course, these results are preliminary and have to be corroborated and differentiated by further research