博物館展示資訊的傳達認知模式初探

A Model for Exhibition Communication in Museums

范成偉

《科技博物》 2卷1期 (1998/01) Pp. 48-57

https://doi.org/10.6432/TMR.199801.0048

並列摘要

The first models for modern information communication were introduced by Shannon and Weaver in 1949. Their work reported three major levels of problems in distributing information. The first is technical problems or how the message is to be accurately delivered to the target. The second level is linguistic, involving how the transmitted symbols deliver precisely the information content desired. And the third is efficiency, making sure that the information is delivered as quickly and simply as possible. (the form abridges)
There are two distinct problems in transmitting information for exhibits in a museum. The first is how the information will be encoded by the transmitter and decoded by the receiver as well as how the transmitter is to use the interfaces and channels involved in the transfer. The second is how the messages and the signal are exchanged and created for the receiver. Furthermore, cultural differences between the transmitter and receiver of the information can also lead to errors in decoding and understanding the data. The delivery model set up by Shannon and Weaver can be further expanded for the concept of transmitting exhibit information. The Shannon-Weaver model offers no explanations for problems encountered in the creation and exchange of ideas. This is because there are considerable differences between the cultural background of those who design museum exhibits and the cultural background of museum visitors. For example, the largest single group of visitors to most museums is junior and middle school students who will gain various kinds and degrees of knowledge (i.e., signals) from the materials on display in the museum. The effectiveness of this level of information exchange is not quantifiable due to the complexity and non-specific definition of interference between the information and the viewer. If the interference between the display and the viewer can be clarified and simplified then the job of the designer becomes that much easier and information can be exchanged with less error. (the form abridges)
There is a high degree of interaction between museum design and arrangement and the structure of the system for information exchange, and transmission is the key to the information age. Looking at exhibit design from a systematic point of view, we see that if data is not input into the process in a stable way there will be a good deal of interference in the educational efficiency of the interchange.
Today many people face an overload in the amount of information they are receiving, partially because what is being fed to them is too complex and does not allow for any feedback from the receiver. For this reason the museum exhibit designer should consider the balance in the data being transmitted, the maturity of the receiver, the receiver's educational background and level of feedback and other such factors in selecting the media for transmitting information.
Design of a museum exhibit is based on the objectives of the exhibit and consists of turning an abstract idea into a palpable display so that the museum visitor will exercise member, wonder, imagination, understanding and other processes utilizing the information thus acquired. This is the purpose of the museum exhibit in the first place and is also the same process outlined by Shannon and Weaver in their model. The exhibit designer strives to transmit the contents of the display to the sensory organs of the visitor with as little outside interference as possible in order to ensure that it will be delivered clearly and accurately.
A Recognition Model for Exhibit Information
Many people feel that the main purpose of a museum is to jam as much information as possible into one secure and comfortable environment. They believe that the museum visitor should be stimulated through every sense organ to see, hear, touch, smell and taste and take it all in a lavish multi-sensory experience. Their studies show that visitors who have undergone such ”MSE” trips to museums tend to absorb and retain more of the contents, indicating the effectiveness of such an appeal. Generally speaking displays which incorporate touch and smell tend to make deeper impressions on visitors than those which affect only one or two senses.
Taylor et al (1962) carried out scientific research at the Seattle World's Fair in 1962 which revealed yet another process involved in exhibits and observation-that a whole series of exhibits can he used to deliver a comprehensive set of information on a subject. Thus individual displays must be designed with an eye to their place in the entire section or even the entire museum and not as an independent entity. Another consideration is the path that the viewer follows in the museum and how it can affect the ability of a display to transmit its information.
Displays in an area with fixed visitor routes should be kept simple and easy to understand, but what about those in places where viewers tend to stop and observe for awhile-should they be simple or more complicated? For areas with several intersecting rotes the exhibits should function in several levels. The lower levels will satisfy the casual passerby who gives the display a quick glance-over while more complex levels will offer more details to observers with more time. Exhibit designers should supply a loose framework containing a series of displays based on careful, meticulous designs, as most topics and information can usually have fairly clear effects. There should be variations in the atmosphere and mood of displays from place to place in the museum, and humor and special textural effects should be incorporated into the designs and media for exhibits in order to catch the visitor's attention and stimulate further investigation into the subject of the display. Simply foisting information onto the visitor is not enough.
The methods employed in designing museum displays are becoming increasingly complex and sophisticated with the introduction of more scientific and technical information and media. The incorporation of computer networks and virtual reality into displays has brought about revolutionary changes in design, and many new areas have opened up in the transmission of information. At the same time the effective distance between transmitters and receivers keeps narrowing. At some point in the future people who want to visit a museum will not even have to leave the comfort of their homes. They are simply log onto one of the growing number of excellent on-line museums around the world.
Retrieving Information by Museum Visitors
For museum visitors the process of absorbing information includes action on the part of the visitor as well as reception and acceptance of the information offered. These can be tempered by factors such as the temperament, attitude and social adjustment of the viewer and by the environment in which the information is received and how familiar the topic may be.
When putting together a new exhibit the designer should consider the abstract meanings of the information in the media. The designer can draw on a range of different tools and channels to deliver information-words, drawings, sounds, films, models, reproductions, dioramas and other methods. These can also be used to achieve the display and educational goals of the museum.
Finally, how should exhibits be designed in order to lead the visitor in the way the museum wishes when he or she wonders whether the museum is an interesting place with lots of information? What display media should be used to achieve this end? In today's world with its increasing emphasis on the consumer it is more important than ever to consider the needs of visitors in designing the displays in a museum.