Action at the exhibit face: video and the analysis of social interaction in museums and galleries
ABSTRACT Whilst we can observe a considerable increase in importance of arts and museum marketing, research of people's engagement with art in exhibitions is relatively rare. This neglect of people's action and interaction in exhibitions is somewhat surprising considering that it is in exhibitions where museums are in direct contact with their audience. This article begins with a review of the emergence of video based research in the social sciences before turning to the use of video for the study of visitor behaviour in exhibitions. It contributes to recent debates on experiential and sensory marketing by examining three video recorded fragments of interactions at exhibits in museums. The analysis of the fragments suggests that people's experience of exhibits arises in social interaction with others. The article ends with a discussion of the theoretical and methodological contribution of video based research in museums and of implications of such research for those involved in the management and design of museums and other experiential environments.