Digital Responses of UK Museum Exhibitions to the COVID‐19 Crisis, March – June 2020

Abstract

The impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on museums and galleries has been paramount, with the sector taking on long-term recovery plans. This paper examines this crisis in the context of temporary exhibition programmes of UK museums, studying online content for 21 museums with exhibitions due to open between March and June 2020. Analysis was conducted, noting how COVID was considered, how content was presented, and discussing the emerging themes of access, embodiment, and human connection. In considering these results in the context of wider digital heritage literature, several questions are raised in terms of how digital content is conceptualised, presented, and valued. At a crucial turning point in the sector, these aspects will need to be considered as museums and galleries continue to adapt in light of a post-COVID world where practices, both digital and physical, will undoubtedly shift.

Digital Reflections of Domestic Leisure Activities During COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Bu dönemde sanatsal faaliyetler de çevrimiçi ortama taşınmış, dijital teknolojiler aracılığıyla izleyicinin erişimine sunulmuştur. İzleyiciler için birer boş zaman aktivitesi olma niteliği taşıyan bu faaliyetler, hem fiziksel ortamda sahnelenen eserlerin dijital ortama taşınmasıyla (müze koleksiyonları (Erkmen, Kılıç & Kutsal, 2020;King, Smith, Wilson & Williams, 2021) gibi) hem de doğrudan çevrimiçi oluşturulan dijital performanslar ("#evdekalmüziklekal" etiketi altında gerçekleştirilen Instagram konserleri, Andrea Bocelli'nin YouTube üzerinden canlı yayınlanan "Umut İçin Müzik" konseri, "Evlere Şenlik" Pepsi Türkiye ya da Migros YouTube Konserleri (Kaya-Deniz, 2020) gibi) aracılığıyla ulaşılabilir hale gelmiştir (Arslan, 2020, s. 108).…”

Digital Multimodality of Museums Discourse During Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Museums have presented online exhibitions in different ways, but it remains to be seen which of these are most effective in engaging visitors in the informal learning experience that museums often seek [King 2021]. The new trend is the focus is very much on the story first and the artworks second, and it gives more of an appreciation for her story than a standard 360 tour could accomplish [Richardson 2021].…”

“…Museums all over the world had taken a hit too, the smallest ones suffered most, but all of them tried to adapt to new normality. UNESCO have identified over 800 individual actions by museums and galleries in response to the pandemic [King 2021]. During the pandemic museums went on supporting education, promoting culture and the Human Experience [Facing Challenge 2020], communicated to research [Kahn 2020].…”

“…The coronavirus pandemic has put the transformation of museums' missions for the digital age front and center [Grant 2020]. The discussion about correlation of physical and digital museums can be traced back to 2010 [King 2021], and even further, to the concept of Malraux's notion of a 'museum without walls' (1947). Whilst virtual and physical spaces do have uniqueness, they are nevertheless complementary and mutually supportive, overlapping in many ways [King 2021].…”

“…The discussion about correlation of physical and digital museums can be traced back to 2010 [King 2021], and even further, to the concept of Malraux's notion of a 'museum without walls' (1947). Whilst virtual and physical spaces do have uniqueness, they are nevertheless complementary and mutually supportive, overlapping in many ways [King 2021]. The pandemic accelerated the digitization of world cultural treasures, new items being added at a faster rate.…”