Ferguson, Heather (2012) The Writing on the Wall: The Impact of Information Media in Museum Space. Masters thesis, Concordia University.
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Abstract
This thesis is focused on the study of information media in museum space. Didactic panels, literally the writing on the wall, are standard practice in the planning and execution of exhibitions. The composition and use of these panels can be described as an institutional technology, instrumental in the construction of power. This project investigates how the production and placement of didactic panels in museums and galleries creates and maintains relationships of power between the viewer and the institution. To investigate this relationship, a participant observation study focused on visitor use and movement patterns was completed, as well as interviews with visitors to draw out their understanding of how didactics function within a museum space. These two methods combine to create a vivid picture of how the use of didactics fits into a network of the exertion of power over the visitor.
| Divisions: | Concordia University > Faculty of Arts and Science > Communication Studies |
|---|---|
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
| Authors: | Ferguson, Heather |
| Institution: | Concordia University |
| Degree Name: | M.A. |
| Program: | Communication |
| Date: | 24 September 2012 |
| Thesis Supervisor(s): | Staseson, Rae |
| Keywords: | Museum studies, didactic labels, information labels, exhibition studies, exhibition labels, institutional discourse analysis, participant observation, conversational interviews, museum, label, art museum, canadian art |
| ID Code: | 975013 |
| Deposited By: | HEATHER FERGUSON |
| Deposited On: | 19 Jun 2013 15:55 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Jan 2018 17:39 |
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