Don't Tell Me How to Look at Things: Pluses and Minuses of the Digital Interactive Displays at the AIC.

+Viewers can partake in further and in-depth research about an object
-Research is limited to what the museum would like to talk about
-Format provides answers, does not necessarily encourage question asking.
-Machines take away from experience of viewing the object (why don't I just research the museum items on my own?)
+Machines can provide other contexts for viewing the objects. For example, the music added to the photos of the monkeys with instruments ceramics. The displays could recontextualize the objects in a humorous setting, in a more casual setting, in a more formal setting.
+Machines provide historical context and backing for the objects.
-Machines don't always provide critical historical context.
+IPads make the Decorative Arts Gallery look contemporary!
-The actual content on the IPads seems archaic
+Format is easy to use and navigate
+Machines can highlight certain parts/details of the museum object
+Machines can draw connections between objects in a gallery
-Machines don't necessarily draw connections between gallery objects and the viewer's experience in the world