Introduction: Media Innovations and Design in Cultural Institutions

Having traditionally been institutions mainly concerned with knowledge preservation and presentation, cultural institutions are increasingly trying to enable audience participation and co-production. A major explanation behind this shift is the possibilities (and demands) brought about by new technology. Media innovations, thus, affect not only the ways in which objects and stories are being shared and displayed, they also have bearing on the relations between cultural institutions and their audiences.

This book is structured in three parts. The first part focuses on collaborative design and media innovation in museums. Here, collaborative design methods are discussed as vehicles for innovation in a museum setting. The chapters in the second part reflect upon media making and meaning making. Here, it is demonstrated how various techniques can be used to contextualize and re-contextualize archival material to motivate new interpretations, engagement and cultural understanding. Finally, the third part has its focus on civic engagement and local communities. In this part, focus is primarily on work and efforts carried out by local communities outside of the traditional institutions.