During fall 2018, the Department of Education at University of Oslo and the Lab for Cognitive Research in Art History at the Department of Art History, University of Vienna are collaborating in a 'Belvedere Visitracker' study. In collaboration with the Austrian gallery Belvedere, the study explores museum visiting practices in the exhibition Vienna Around 1900 at the Belvedere using the Visitracker app. Visitracker is a novel digital tablet-based research application designed by researchers and programmers at the Department of Education, University of Oslo, which affords both the collection and the visualization of data gathered through in-gallery observations, surveys and drawings/mapping.
Combining the three methods, the study tries to gain deeper insights on social interactions taking place in the exhibition space. How do visitors practically approach and interact with the 16 artworks displayed in the Secession room and how do they reconstruct their art experience through drawing and talking after their visit? While comparing and contrasting both observational as well as self-reported visual and verbal data, the study explores the different interaction modes and the corresponding meaning-making processes. The goal is to reveal perception patterns regarding: a) the different artworks (from prominent to less known), b) media preferences (painting versus sculpture), c) the use of resources (such as text, audio-guides or smartphones), and d) the general use of space (within the exhibition room). Based on the results of the survey with sociodemographic data and contextual information on the museum visit, the data analysis focuses on comparisons between groups as well as local and international audiences in order to address the different visitors’ experiences at a highly appreciated cultural institution.
The study was designed and coordinated by Dr Dimitra Christidou, postdoctoral fellow, Department of Education, University of Oslo and Dr Luise Reitstätter, postdoctoral researcher, Department of Art History, University of Vienna. Karolin Galter, Anna Miscena and Jan Mikuni participated in the data collection and analysis.