Museum Beyond Walls

Master Design Research Project Design Innovation & Interaction Design Yara Al Husaini

2016/2017

Glasgow School of Art Creative Campus

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Research Insight Road Map

Digital Cultures & the risk of an atomised society

Participation in meaning making greater through the connected cultural object

Changing role of Museums in contemporary society towards inclusiveness

Taigh Chearsabhagh is a Heritage & Art Centre in North Uist, Outer Hebrides

Taigh Chearsabhagh wants to create “Museum in a Suitcase”

Case Studies of Musicological Experience with wider community participation

Case Studies of Musicological Experiences towards social justice

Design space: role of the museum, digital cultures, & the networked cultural object

The Islands have beautiful nature but a prevalent indoor culture

The heritage museum is heavy on text & relies on volunteers

The Art Galleries are well funded and “fancier”

Crafts people want to learn more from Taigh Chearsabhagh’s exhibitions through seeing more of the process

Stories of the everyday span history, mythology, culture, merging childhood, present worries and future aspirations.

Perceptions of art in the local community vary widely depending on social stance, interests & connections

Stakeholder map about core collaborators within internal & external communities

Traditional curatorial practices & heavy dependence on key persons/curators

The balanced Museum as a Knowledge & Socially Engaged Institution

The museum as a social institution that asks the why questions

Evocative objects as continuity of autobiographical narratives merging past, present, & future

Design Space: bridging social gaps between people’s narratives & Art & Heritage

The romanticism of the Outer Hebrides & dominating external views

Use of technology in data visualisation as an end in itself

Taigh Chearsabhagh’s role in creating the an art of belonging to place

Taigh Chearsabhagh’s, exploration of boundaries between ‘art’, community’ & ‘local’ & ‘global

Understandings of heritage & hidden heritage

Taigh Chearsabhagh’s Theme of the year is maritime Heritage

Taigh Chearsabhagh usually commissions local & international Artists

HIU students do not exhibit in gallery spaces

Stakeholder map as content creators, communicators, and receivers

Local art students want to be more involved in the community by expanding their engagement

Local art teachers want to raise awareness about art as a profession with different avenues to follow

Local historical society is worried about a disappearing community

Children’s involvement in heritage projects through volunteers & educators at local school

Taigh Chearsabhagh as a place aimed at tourists vs. potential cultural Hub

There are hidden communities unidentified by TC & present a challenge to engage with

Engagement tools directed at evoking community dialogues through Taigh Chearsabhagh

Engagement tools must be flexible and easily adaptable

Unattended Stations are useless for engaging with locals

Using reminders of past experiences created an emotional response from participants

People are intrigued

by Art objects & enjoy the tactile experience

Sharing my story with locals encouraged them to share theirs with me

Local restaurants and cafés can be partners in achieving wider community engagement

A travelling story successfully completed through intimate conversations

Using online platform is useful in seeing how people react to each other’s stories & relate them to their own

A pop-up participatory exhibition is a good way to engage with more tourists than locals

Preconceptions about how people will receive art affect how it is communicated to them

No longer existing artefacts can still act as memory place-holders

Reserved attitudes call for the necessity of safe spaces

Sense of belonging highlighted in the holding on to tradition, language, and culture

Intimate Interactions generate genuine ones

A strong past of tradition, and a very rapidly changing environment

Objects & Environments as an ecology of things that connect the past to the future

A closely knit society that is actually fragmented both physically & socially

Key persons in community affect which stories are told, while others sink in the background

A generational gap manifested in an urge to hold on to tradition & ways of passing it on

Bridging social gaps through evocative objects by bringing commonalties to the surface

Emerging themes: intimate interactions, generational gaps, preservation & speculation A concept that focuses on a tactile mobile interactive experience

A concept that allows for exploration & freedom interpretation of Art, Heritage, & community

A concept that allows for new connections to be made that could never exist otherwise

An interactive experience utilising tactile & digital elements

Packaging that communicates how the artefact is used & explored

A concept that has longevity & the ability to adapt

A concept that can grow into a distributed network across the Islands

A concept that can become a sensory easily storable & retrievable archive

Gamification of interface to evoke new meaningful stories

Need to communicate remotely to get feedback & adjust

Adjust prototype according to feedback & testing for final output

A Project Process Journal that reflects my navigation strategies that led to my design outcome

An artefact that acts as the beginning of many others- every combination is a new object & new story An interface that is easy to navigate

A Presentation that coherently & succinctly explains my research

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*How to read the research jounrey

Convergent Thinking

Divergent Thinking

Obstacles

Milestones

Reflect & Reflex

Change in Perspective

Discover

Journey Strats Here

Primary Desk Research P6

Design Space P8

Primary Field Research P10

Define

Secondary Desk Research P18

Secondary Field Research P20

Analyse

Insights & Opportunities P22

Emerging Themes P27

Develop

Ideation

Design Space: Reframe P28

P28

Concept

P29

P30

Reflect

P39

Exhibit

Communicate

Communicate

01 discover

PRIMARY DESK RESEARCH Essence Delving into desk research to formulate my primary design space, I looked at three key areas of research; digital cultures, the cultural connected object, and the role of the museum. Following this, I took on research about Hebridean Heritage, the social and economic role of Taigh Chearsabhagh, and outsider perspectives on the Islands as a place and a community. In linking these ideas together I looked at museological storysharing case studies within the museum and beyond.

Present

when

where Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum & Art Centre Figures 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, left to right

INTRODUCTION Stakeholder Approach

U

pon discovering that Taigh Cearsabagh Heritage and Art Centre intended to create a travelling

Creating a Design Brief

who

Comann Eachdriadh Uist Art Associa Taigh Chearsab

suitcase as a means to widen their engagement

&

within The Outer Hebrides, I approached them to shape the format that this suitcase might take.

My interest in pursuing this project comes from explorations I have done in previous projects where I uncovered a particular interest in designing around issues concerning belonging, collective memory, and democratic modes of communication.

6

Research Question How can a museological storysharing experience increase Taigh Chearsabagh’s engagement with the wider community ?

1992

About Taigh Chearsabhagh illustration 1.1

Uibhist Trust ation bhagh Trust

what Museum & Arts Centre why a place for people to meet, share ideas, learn new skills, & experience cultural interpretation that is imaginative & simulating,

Taigh Chearsabhagh describes itself to be “a place where people can meet, share ideas, learn new skills, and experience cultural interpretation that is imaginative and stimulating.” The uniqueness of the centre’s location provides it with a particular focus on preserving and disseminating local cultural heritage.

The centre also plays a vital role in promoting the Gaelic Language, which is native to the area. The centre’s work focuses on exploring the boundaries of art, culture, environment and sustainability. This is brought to life through residencies, research, commissions, events and public programs in collaboration with renowned international and scottish artists.” (Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum and Arts Centre, 2017)

Taigh Cearsabhagh

The Centre is involved in an academic partnership with the Highlands and Islands University, where a bachelors in fine arts is offered on the Island. In this partnership, the centre supports students through offering studio spaces for work, and the display of their work in non-gallery spaces.

7

On Digital Cultures Today all aspects of culture are influenced and mediated by computerisation, where cultural processes are weaved through the practices, values, and expectations of people when networking. Digital Cultures today are characterised by the blurring of the consumer and the producer, thus allowing for the democratisation of the meaning making processes involved.

As participants, we are active agents in the process of meaning making. We engage in remediation through adopting while simultaneously modifying and manipulating ways of understanding reality. We are bricoleurs by reflexively constructing our own versions of this reality. (Deuze, 2006). This manifests as a change in the role of the museum in the 21st century, where it needs to continually adapt itself to stay relevant to its audiences. (Nielsen, J. 2015)

greater democratisation of interaction with museological artefacts and wider community participation should be further investigated through design innovation practices

On the Networked Cultural Object : The data centric view on the networked object is prevalent in most spheres of data digitisation and collection; this includes cultural and archaeological artefacts. Meanwhile this is useful in the examination of information in a personal, in-depth way, it presents a set of challenges whereby technological accuracy becomes an end in itself. These challenges are highlighted in the lack of engagement of broader communities in digital visualisation, resulting in low levels of public use and reuse of cultural resources. (Jeffrey, 2015) These issues present a design innovation challenge where the boundaries of the modes of production and consumption of cultural artefacts digitally should be rethought. In recent years, several projects have utilised co-production and co-design as a means to democratising the meaning-making process of cultural artefacts; facilitating the emergence of links and networks that experts

Formulating the first Design Space

moving past the data centric view Digital Cultures

The Networked Object

meaningful interactions

Design Space

bluring lines between consumer & producer

collective memory

digital visualisation

The Museum Role democratising bespoke content through wider participation Design Space 1 illustration 1.2

8

would be unable to unravel on their own. These projects include the Accord project (ACCORD, 2017), Your Painting (Artuk.org, 2017), and Micropasts (Micropasts.org, 2017) and museum in a box (Museum in a Box, 2017).

The role of the Museum in Contemporary Society: As a cultural institution the museum was developed to bring knowledge from the producer to the consumer in a universal, encyclopaedic format.

Museums have always been virtual, even before the emergence of communication technologies; cultural and heritage objects are essentially removed from their contexts of production and manifestation and are placed in a reframed context curated by the museum. This detachment affects the way perceptions and conversations are formed around these objects, and ultimately the value they bring

The Romanticism of the Outer Hebrides: To understand the context within which Taigh Chearsabhagh operates, attention must be drawn to its unique geographical location and rich history, Located in the Werstern Isles on the shores of Lochamaddy, on the Island of North Uist, it has acquired its place as a Museum, Art Centre, and Cultural Hub by celebrating the heritage and the uniqueness of the place and its communities. Despite the fact that people are more able to celebrate their heritage now, the Western Isles landscapes have often been portrayed by detached external views (Boyer 1996, McDonald 1996). However, these views of people and Place are being reimagined

into society. (Giaccardi, 2006) Within this framework, even with the use of communication technologies, the information is still put out passively to the consumer; though certain feedback mechanisms exist, they render the consumer’s role to that of a reflective one. Instead, museums could adopt a participatory approach to museological experiences, whereby they are

through the contemporary landscapes of heritage reconstructed by certain cultural institutions and embedded communities of interest. An Lannatiar and Taigh Chearsabhagh are examples of such institutions, who bridge local communities and artists such as Roddy Mathieson and Will Mclean (Mackenzie, 2006)

made relevant to the experiences of the visitors by allowing them to construct their own meanings from cultural experiences, and providing them with a platform where their voices can inform and invigorate projects and programmes that reflect the institution’s objective. (Simon, 2010) This highlights the role of the museum in terms of invigorating, preserving and celebrating cultural heritage and community, which manifest in the social processes that surround artefacts and places, not the artefacts themselves. (Mydland and Grahn, 2012) Reinforcing the idea that greater democratisation of interaction with museological artefacts and wider community participation should be further investigated through design innovation practices.

The Outer Hebrides Figure 1.5 Top Museum in a Box Figure 1.6 Bottom 9

Prim

PRIMARY FIELD RESEARCH Essence

E PL O PE

ATIONS E REL PAC S D AN

Local Collaborators

Museu

I started my field research with a scoping trip where

Artists

I partially applied ground research techniques to develop an understanding of the internal and external communities involved. I conducted semi-

Sp

structured interviews, several daily conversations,

Stu dio

and field observations. I started to gain an communities have, and their effects on the centre’s engagement with the wider local community.

Outhwith

understanding of the different perspectives these

Educators National

es ac

Local/Regional

Staying

es fic Of Heritage Art

op Sh t f Gi

inspiration Seekers Pa Cafe Goers

Art Students

The stakeholder map shown was iterated over the

Sellers

Admin

Locals

Caterers

Tourists

Curators

course of my research. The map divides map the actors in play within the heritage and the art spaces

Gal lery Spac es

International Educators Leaving

Stakeholder Relations

Children Vol

People & Spaces

Staff

of the centre, showing who lies within the internal

Visitors

and external communities. I also highlight who is The purpose of this map was to identify the social People & Spaces illustration 1.3

directly involved in the meaning making processes dynamics and where they happen. I was able to - this mostly lies in the hands of curators, artists, detect that while the Centre has the potential to be a vibrant cultural hub, this is not entirely the case. See

some volunteers. See illustration 1.4

External Communities

International Artists

External Communities Internal Communities

The Heritage Community

Scottish Artists

Taigh Chearsabagh Curator

Local Artists

Internal Communities

The Art Community

illustration 1.3

Taigh Chearsabagh Curator

Inspiration Seekers

Academic Partners

Engaged Locals

Art Students

APPRECIATION/ADMIRATION Academic Partners

Historical Society Volunteers

Local Craftsmen

Regional Craftsmen

Historical Society Connections

Parents

Educators & School Children

Enganged Youth

Cafe Visitors

Occasional Visitors

Non-engaged Community Members

Occasional Visitors

producers

Consumers

democratic ‘meaning-making’ 10

Tourists

Non-engaged Community Members

pereferrable future

Stakeholer Map illustration 1.4

mary Sch oo l

I uncovered that there are hidden communities that are the most challenging to reach and engage with

um fe Ca

lunteers

I analysed the data gathered through content analysis and reflective visualisations.

In my analysis I found three primary emerging themes; art perceptions and levels of engagement, traditional curatorial practices and embedded everyday stories. These manifested through conversations around art in general, and that carried out at Taigh Cheasabhagh, as well as its role with in the community.

In conversations about curation, I found that curators mostly depended on previous experiences.

Diversity in curation usually arose through external collaborations. With stories, I found that I collected stories of the everyday, which draw upon the place’s history, mythology, culture, merging with people’s own stories of childhood, present worries and future aspirations.

arents other

Within

Dynamic Relations

s Meeting Space Gaelic Students/ Teacher

By creating this map I was trying to understand who the disengaged/engaged communities are. I found that those engaged often had strong established links and interests in the Centre. I also uncovered a group that I labelled as hidden communities; those who are the most challenging to reach and engage with, given the nature of a fragmented rural community. The disengaged in the visual describe locals I spoke with who perceived Taigh Chearsabhagh to be aimed at tourists, or irrelevant to their personal interest.

Inspiration Seekers

Cafe Visitors

Non-engaged Community Members

International Artists

ties uni m m Co al n r Engaged te Locals Ex

Understanding Community Dynamics

Taigh Chearsabagh Curator

es uniti mm Co al rn te In

Local Artists Art Students

ART

Scottish Artists

TAIGH CHEARASABAGH COMMUNITIES

Engaged Youth

Taigh Chearsabagh Curator

HERITAGE

y unit mm o C al rn e t In

Academic partners

Funding Organisations

Historical Society Volunteers Local Craftsmen

Educators & School Children Occasional Visitors

ies unit mm Co al rn te Ex

CORE COLLABORATORS HAVE ESTABLISHED CONNECTIONS

Hidden Communities

Occasional Visitors

Parents

Historical Society Connections

Dynamic Relations illustration 1.5 11

LOCAL

NO ART FOR ME THANKS

ART & DESIGN DRIVE CONSUMERISM

TOURIST

LOCAL

TOO EXPENSIVE BUT REALLY NICE STUFF EH?

OUTSIDER ART CAN SOTMETIMES DEVALUE LOCALLY IMPORTANT MEANINGS WHEN OVER/MISUSED

Engaged locals who are doubtful of the relevanve of content presented by artists to community

Non relevant to daily life, interest or social group

-PERCEPTIONS

Perceptions of Art & Taigh Chearsabhagh’s Role illustration 1.6

LOCAL

THE CAFE IS GREAT, DON’T KNOW ABOUT ART

LOCAL

GREAT TO KEEP YOUNG PEOPLE FROM LEAVING

MY NIECE STUDIED THERE AND IS NOW DOING GREAT!

LOCAL

LOCAL

+PERCEPTIONS

Established community connections and interest in art, & remembering past intiatives

I STILL HAVE A PIECE OF THAT KNITTED FISH PROJECT IN MY KITCHEN

I AM DEVELOPING MY TALENTS IN AN INSPIRING PLACE AND COMMUNITY

STUDENT

I FOUND A JOB WITHOUT LEAVING MY HOME, AND I GET TO EDUCATE MY COMMUNITY ABOUT MY PROFESSION

TUTOR/ARITST

A GREAT WAY TO EXPLORE ISLAND CULTURE

LOCAL

I LIKE PHOTOGRAPHY .. I COME TO SEE IF THERES ANY OF THAT!

I CAN EMPATHISE WHEN ART IS EXPLAINED TO ME, I POP IN WHEN I CAN

LOCAL

NON-ENGAGED

LOCAL

TOURIST

ENGAGED

12

Perceptions of Art & the role of Taigh Chearsabhagh in the Local Community Perceptions often related to personal preferences, levels of engagement with the Centre, people’s social stance as well as their connections within the community.

Engagement with Art often depends on artists’ work and their own desire in engaging with the local community.

The centre’s impact in the community is seen through its educational efforts rather than it being a cultural hub.

When remembering projects locals are fond of, they spoke of a knitting fish project where people knitted their own fish and then auctioned. These artworks now live in people’s homes.

Art Curator “I have many hats. I curate with artists, I produce films, I formulate plans with the team for the upcoming three years and that often means that I have to handle several projects at the same time. The amount of work we have means that there is little time to digitise our collections the way we would like to.”

1

5

Heritage Curator

Historical Society Volunteer & Educator

“I largely depend on my experience on curating.

I put up a good enough heritage exhibition. With the help of the historical society, I am able to pull several strands together to present a coherent story around one theme. The exhibitions are still heavy on text, but collaborations with academic partners and other cultural institutions have led to interesting outcomes that people are fond of”

“I am an educator and a historical society volunteer. I am also now learning Gaelic. I came here years ago to connect with my belated parents. I wanted to understand my mother’s attachment to the Islands, and the only way for me to do so is through discovering and celebrating heritage with the community”

4

1

2

4

Art Teacher “Its my responsibility to make the younger generations aware of the importance of Art and the different paths they can take after graduation. I left for college thinking I would never come back but I came back here more than ten years ago now and have not looked back since”

3 14

3

Archaeologist

Interview Illustrations illustrations 1.7- 1.14 Top to Bottom

“I live a simple life here. The archaeology is mesmerising; the nature here is very unique, and so is the community. Its home now, you know?”

7

8

6

7

Storyteller “I have worked with many museums in the Highlands and Islands in the past, and its always the same problem, you go into the project thinking that the Museum has established relationships with the community, but its always the same case, they make connections in the first couple years, and then its forgotten about… and when you think about it, it all comes down to one person (curator) ”

5

2

Craftsman

Gaelic Teacher

“I find great inspiration when I come here, especially when I look at the students works through their own lenses; the process sketchbooks that they keep are a great insight into how they learn and grow. What I do is very similar, and that’s why I expect the Centre to teach me by showing process”

“I believe that many of my students learn the language to establish a deeper connection with the place they live in. Teaching Gaelic through Taigh Chearsabhagh means that the connections between language, art, heritage, and community can grow stronger,”

6

Interviews

8

15

illustration 1.15 ‘Moments’ within Field Research

02 define

The balanced museum: communication and relevance

Essence

It can be said that museums around

understanding, and a process that

maintained the world face a similar type of communication with stakeholders by providing them challenges. These can be summarised

creates something meaningful and

Between

visits

to

the

Islands

I

with updates; for this purpose, I found that using in: creating a sustainable learning research evidence and visuals to be of high value. In environment, providing possibilities

Museum Relevance manifests itself in

addition, I planned towards gatherings by sending for meaning making, ensuring visitor out invitation posters through the stakeholder. I also participation, and providing new ways

through the creation (or re-creation)

continuously gathered desk research to further of thinking about the future, as well support my findings and help reframe my project advocating inclusive participation. focus. My second field research trip consisted The last appears to be the most of different formats and means of engagement & challenging; although visions of the museum of the future that embraces interaction with local communities. technology was seen as the best

SECONDARY DESK RESEARCH

means to reach larger audiences, this has only been successful to a limited

On narrative of the self, distributed memory, and evocative objects

extent. (Nielson, 2015)

I

adapting processes of interpretation,

n brief, I based my research on works by the cognitive scientist, Richard Hersmink. In his

work he argues that autobiographical memory should be seen as both embodied and distributed.

He specifically argues that evocative objects, i.e. objects that are connected to past personal experiences, trigger and sometimes constitute emotionally-laden autobiographical memories, are representational of this. Hersmink further argues that the self narrative is not only determined by the web of connected experiences and the events of the past, but also the unfolding trajectory of which the person is largely the author of; meaning that our present selves are not only determined by the past,

Within this context, museums should define

their

relevance,

communication interaction,

by and

meaning making to their curatorial practices, taking into consideration their

particular

socio-cultural

circumstances, especially in times where the role of the curator has shifted from being a specialist to a multi-tasking

generalist.

(Nielson,

2017) Clear museum communication thus takes centre stage for the museum’s success in reaching its

museological practices in three ways; of new (renewed) approaches or practices, through making sense or making meaning (for example, through interpretation, research, interaction, or participation), and by introducing or establishing new museological understandings in the creation (or recreation) of approaches and practices.

(Nielson, 2015) Thus, it may be said to be that the balanced museum is one that can take processes of articulation and understanding,

and

communication

while

shapes

its status as a socially engaged, and knowledgeable institution that can ask the why questions, and initiate dialogues that need to be had.

Museums hold a place of privilege of freedom of expression, and the ability to create a safe space for dialogues around the past and the future.

(Nielson, 2017), See illustration 2.1

with the museum.

Thus, evocative objects almost act as distributed that is both socially engaged and anchors, which link the past and the future, and help knowledgeable maintain a coherent story of the self; People maintain through

its

can

be

examined

relevance.

Museum

continuity of personal identity by handling “a stable relevance is defined as being the ecology of cues”. Linking my previous research with museum’s ability to grow and change the ideas surrounding evocative objects, I focused with its audiences. Museums must be on designing my engagement tools to understand able to demonstrate their relevance what this might mean for design research within by enabling both social interaction this context.

and participative engagement with

I maintained Stakeholder relations through remote working techniques

collections. (Nielson, 2015) Relevance may also be understood as both a concept and a process; as a concept, closely related to interpretation and

its

maintaining

socio-cultural goals within and out-

but also by being future oriented. (Hersmink, 2017) The notion of a balanced museum

18

useful.

Formulating a framework to support evidence

“why questions & future oriented”

New Ideas

ng ki

a

Interpretation

cues provided through communicator & context

transforming stimulus into meaning

Bringing research on the balanced museum

and

current

curatorial

Practices, I extracted a framework to evaluate the existing gaps with

Evocative Objects

Understanding

The Balanced Museum: Knowledgeable & Socially Engaged Emerging Curatorial Practices & Taigh Chearsabhagh

Re l

m e

ce an aking ev ning m

sen se m a

Muse um

“An ecology of things& people that provide continuity”

Memory ‘Previous experiences, events, and emotions”

The Balanced Museum illustration 2.1

Use discourses of specialists in the field of artistic production to develop exhibitions

Care for and orchestrated the display of artwork, objects and/or collections

1

2

involved in or planning exhibits and/or programs that address grassroots organizing or social justice movements & value movements as they happen

3

Taigh Chearsabagh’s communication strategy. This framework is based on research examining a selection of museums and art curators who prioritise community engagement and social justice. (Wittman, 2017) This

Connect programming and exhibits to ideas of Place (shared meanings

Exhibit artists whose work comments on issues that relate to lived experiences of local communities

connected to a location, which imbue a space with value for one or more communities)

5

4

remained a reference point during my research.

Use culturally familiar gathering and participation formats to promote comfort and participation

6

In summary, Taigh Chearsabhagh’s strategy remains contained within a very specific community whose participation in art exhibition and program development is apparent. early

on

by

8

7

It is also apparent that the projects undertaken

Collaborate with trusted community leaders on programs

Invite communities to share their creativity and their experiences

Taigh

Provide communities with direct access and representation in art exhibition and program development.

9

Chearsabhagh were more targeted at community engagement, whereas now they are able to rely on an established heritage community for support. See illustration 2.2

need improvement

applied

not applied

not applied/focus Emerging Curatorial Practices illustration 2.2 19

SECONDARY FIELD RESEARCH each exercise, the story and the

Engagements

artefact brought together on the storyboard were photographed and

I

n preparation for my trip I wanted

shared on an Instagram page that

to design engagement tools that

I created to publish the results and

would answer questions around what

share them. See Fig.ures 2.6- 2.7

collective evocative objects meant for locals, finding a means to provoking

Traveling Story

dialogues about the past and the future, and understanding why many locals are

To continue with the first premise of

not engaged with Taigh Chearsabhagh,

a museum suitcase, I prototyped a

and how this may be tackled in my

traveling story, where I designed the

design intervention. In designing the

interior of Suitcase and placed art

engagement tools I intentionally tried

and everyday objects in it. I carried

to design them so that I could respond

out this engagement in Balivanich

to how people interacted with them.

in cooperation with Stepping Stone

This meant that rather than having one

Restaurant. I set this up in the form

specific way and medium of interaction;

of a station, but found that bringing

these tools could be adapted to how I

the artefacts to tables and speaking

saw people interacted with them. See

privately with groups worked best.

figures 2.1- 2.4.

During these engagement, I provided

Figure 2.1

participants with a story pouches, onto which they drew an object that

Stations For

the

first

told their story. See figures 2.8,2.9, engagement

tool

I

designed, I designed a station where I provided cards with prompts asking people to tell their island story and an adjacent artefact, which they could construct through drawing or through an interactive artefact. This method did not work very well, with the exception

2.11

I had to continuously adapt engagement tools & formats according to observations Pop-up Exhibition:

Figure 2.5

of children who were delighted at the artefacts. In response, I distributed After

having

collected

stories

these on the tables at the café, which through different mediums I created was slightly more successful.

See a pop-up exhibition with the materials

figure 2.5

at the restaurant. Tourists were particularly fond of it, and started

Workshop:

adding their stories, while locals did not. See figure 2.10

I held an informal workshop where I provided maritime heritage artefacts, photographs that I took, craft material, a story board, and other prompts that I designed. I asked participants to create a story that they wanted to share. This engagement was very personal for participants involved who were “taking trip down memory lane”. At the end of 20

With the help of a local restaurant and its staff I was able to engage with many locals who had established relationship with the staff. Through this window I was able to peak inside an otherwise very quiet community.

Figure 2.8

Figure 2.2

Figure 2.3

Figure 2.6

Figure 2.4

Figure 2.7

Figure 2.11

Figure 2.9

Figure 2.10

Field Engagement left to right figures 2.1-2.11 21

03 Analyse

T

o analyse my findings I carried out content analysis where I clustered insights into themes

for several rounds, created matrices, and finally formulated insights, which I tested against evidence collected, for which I then envisioned design opportunities. In addition, I used illustrations as a reflexive method.

INSIGHTS & OPPORTUNITIES Insights

I used illustrations as a reflexive method in generating insights

When I found that most of my insights related to community dynamics I decided to experiment with water colour to help bring these insights to the surface.

Opportunities

1 Preconceptions about how people will/should receive art and other engagement activities affects which stories are told/represented.

creating an open dialogue channel between Aritsits/ Curators/wider public

2 Objects and Environments that hold sentimental value do not necessarily exist physically but act as memory placeholders in people’s minds.

use an artefact in a design output that acts as a new memory place-holder “lost objects and places”

3 People’s reserved attitudes mean that generating genuine interactions depends on the means/methods of creating a “safe space”.

creating an engagement within an existing network of interaction, e.g: Bus

4 People’s sense of belonging to place and people is highlighted in their own worry of the future, and corresponding reaction to it by raising concerns around the need to hold on to tradition, language, culture, and population.

relate specifics of culture such as food, music, things, language, riddles, etc, into experience to build a network of relevant stories.

5 Objects lives are imagined and re-imagined through people’s interpretations of them; reflecting a strong past yet a rapidly changing environment.

using existing object lives in a concept for a way to open dialogue around topics of the past & the future that would not be thought of otherwise

6 Although the community is said to be a community that is “closely knit”, it is fragmented both physically and socially; most interactions happen in small groups, and depend on key persons.

enable people to see a bigger picture of commonalities, & perhaps new interesting points of discussion.

7 Rapid changes in the islands culture created a generational gap and a need which urges the preservation of an otherwise diminishing heritage.

create a platform that offers a cross generational conversations and dialogues by bringing memories and stories of the past into the future

debunking preconceptions by giving people a ‘louder voice’.

communicate collective/ personal island stories through a preservable artefact

creating a network of collaborators and champions that introduce and engage

enable people to express concerns through preservation and freedom of expression

use a distributed network to bring people closer and especially those who are left out now

* The insights are matched with illustrations through numbers on top 22

5

EXTERNAL

NOW

ALWAYS

IMPOSED IDEAS AND POLICIES

S OD RI PE

RAPID C OF H AN GE

islands stories of past & present through

A HARSHER LIFE FULL OF MEMORIES

INTERNAL

BACK IN THE DAY

Artefacts & Environments

Change & Community illustration 3.1 23

2 3 4 5

stories of the self

“I worry about the future of the islands. There are only 11 children in Bernary, and outward migration is only ever increasing”

stories of the self & others

“My two borthers are both fishermen, they worry about the future of the fishing here with the ever increasing restrictions on fishing here.

Right now they have to sell their fish in Spain.

The prices of food and gas are ever increasing with high transport costs. Could we use community owned renewable energy to do something about it?

“Global Warming is not only affecting the weather, but our fishing practices as well. We are facing all sorts of problems with fish farming that we never really faced before.. sea lice being one of them”

“Fishing is something that I have done my entire life, nothing else like it”

“ when a boat’s life ends at sea, it finds a new one in our gardens”

"the fish I fished I “the stewarts have been making salted & the grimsay boats for sold to locals generations and using a local's name" generations, they are a

part of heritage that we

“I very proud of" fished for 50 years, it was a “I sailed around the harsh life, but now my world. From the arctic children have taken over" to Austrialia. My life has always been about the sea, the sky, and good company" “boats have always resembeled death & the afterlife in our culture"

“The prices are way too high.

The ferry has a monopoly on sea transport”

Kayaking has taught me geography & Gealic

“look at the boat that I drew, it looks like my dad’s, it does not only swim, it flies and drives on land too,” “we painted the boats & sailed them to portugal”

“I fix boats as a hobby, though I hate the modern adjustments” “These boats are a tribute to the stewarts. I studied the boats for a very long time, and now I am using them to evoke new dialogoues”

24

Island Stories illustration 3.2

1

6

which ones last and which ones disappear ?

our voice is heard clearly We are active community members that decide on and organise events, and reach out to those in our circle

our voice is only just heard We are active community members that are connected through other key persons

our voice is barely ever heard We are not very active & do not seek to be included, or the value in our contribution, but would like to be more involved

our voice is never heard We are not active, do not see the value in our contributions, we do not seek to contribute & are very difficult to seek out

illustration 3.3 Hidden Stories

25

26

3

6

Community Interactions illustration 3.4

Those without direct connection are left out of community activities

Invisible Communities

Visible Communities Key persons communicate to people within their circles

Engaging the community in expressing Art& Heritage

Obstacles of penetrating the community

EMERGING THEMES

IES OR

IES OR

ISLA N DS T SINKING ST

generational gaps

Formulating Emergent themes to direct concept

a rapidly chaning environment within the last 40 years has led to generational gaps that are wider than elsewhere in the UK. This means that there is both a wealth of knowledge held by the elder generations, and a means to connect youth with their heritage.

preservation & speculation awareness of the importance of heritage preservation is limited to the few who see value in their own contributions. Through conversations on heritage and the arts, it becomes easier to evoke questions and speculations about the shared futures of the island.

intimate interactions a small fragmented community means that interactions happen in small intimate groups, where taking initiative is not a common attitude. The community is characterised by being private, quiet, and reserved.

illustration 3.5 Emerging Themes

27

04 Develop Design Space Balanced Museum Communication

Storytelling though Evocative Objects Sense & Meaning Making

Knowledgeable & Socially Engaged

Why Questions & of Future

Past Memories

Social Gaps

Narratives of People & Place

Art & Heritage Design Space illustration 4.1

IDEATION Essence

C

oncept generation was a rapid and brief period. After having

framed a focused design space, I started generating ideas around bridging the social gaps that exist between the narratives of people, and

Art

and

Heritage

internal

communities, through focusing on the commonalities between these communities represented in the cultural artefacts. In generating these concepts I wanted to design towards a preferable future of

Figure 4.1 Distributed Story Recorder w/ Story Cards

‘community’, ‘art’ and ‘heritage’ narratives. For me, the aim of this concept is not an attempt to resolve the uncovered tensions, but one that lives within them. See figures 4.1-4.3

Figure 4.2 Dice like RFID Objects explored through a digital platform

28

Figure 4.3 Cards & Smart Phone Board game

Initial Concepts Figures 4.1-4.3

CONCEPT

The Technology: 3D RFID Reader

What At the core of the concept is an intimate interactive experience that allows people to

where & when

interact with art & heritage exhibited at TC.

Battery

The system utilises RFID technology, digital The interactive Experience starts within

Charging Cable

making, and a digital platform. Through the museum by bringing different makers Interacting with the artefacts, people are and curators together with the audience able to explore stories through meta-data, in mind. Fostering a strategy of storytelling and generate links between them to create within and outwith the museum. The their own “story constellations”

experience itself takes place in cultural hubs around the Islands with the help of a museum worker. The outcomes of external

Who

interactions can then manifest at TC

Bluetooth Transmitter

The Physical: Chatter Box

through a digital library I envision the system being carried out

by Taigh Chearsabhagh (TC) as the main stakeholder, as well as other cultural institutions on the Islands, Local Cultural

How

Hubs such as restaurants and cafés, a The experience manifests in digitally Museum Worker, Museum Curators, produced representations of artefacts and Digital Makers and Artists. The aim of artworks, generated by artists and digital bringing collaborators together is to widen makers, a 3D RFID reader artefact, and a TC’s outreach within the local community, digital platform and database where data and to create wider participation and is stored and updated. By interacting with representation in future Artworks and different artefacts users are able to create Programmes at TC. new links between artefacts that did not exist originally, thus adding a layer of

Pallet Box

Pallets

meaning that neither artists nor curators

Why

could possibly predict.

TC’s community engagement has been limited to specific groups within the islands; this has fostered perceptions of the museum being aimed at tourists, and artwork, cultural artefacts, and museum initiatives being distant. A community that is characterised by its reservation towards change, and its preference of widely distributed interactions reinforces these perceptions. This is ultimately reflected in the representation of local communities in artwork produced and exhibited.

Next I envision extensions to this concept being implemented by the stakeholder where the experience starts with one on one engagements, but extends to homes, other museums, and finally turning to an easily accessible digital archive. The

The Digital: Digital Platform

experience can also be adapted to a LoFi version where content is produced in print, furthering its potential to appeal to different groups. In addition, TC will be able to produce bespoke inhouse artefacts that will generate revenue for the centre.

29

“ I see a lot of potential in the different ways & contexts that it can be used in,”

One on one interactions

Art Curator at Taigh Chearsabhagh

Home Kits

System Map Design

Internal co-curation Internal & External co-curation Locations

Curators

Participants

Artists

Physical Interactive Library

Digital Makers

COLLABORATIVE WORKSHOPS Taigh Chearsabhagh

Museums

Children

Digital Making Facility

Schools

Outdoor Engagements

Isolated

Engage

HOME KIT

Cultural Institutions

Museum Worker

Engage

ENGAGEMENT KIT

Cultural Hubs

Restaurants /Cafe’s

Taigh Chearsabhagh

INTERACTIVE LIBRARY

Distributed Museum Exchanges

Public Spaces

Exhibit

Service Blue Print 1

2

3

4

6

5

7

8

TOUCHPOINTS Teasers

PHASES

Preparation

FRONT OF STAGE Hear & ask about Event INTERACTIONS

Museum curators,

BACK OF STAGE artists, & digital INTERACTIONS makers collaborate

Invitations to collaborate

SUPPORT PROCESSES

Engagement Kit

Digital Platform

Go to Event

organise events with partners

Digital Platform

Engagement

Launch

Discover

Create links

Share & Discover

Museum worker provides supervision & support

Physical Library

Digital Platform & Home Kit

Engagement Kit & Home Kit

Exhibition

Distribution

Update

Go to Museum

Register & Receive Kit

Receive Notification

Curators Organise

Reception answer questions

Museum curators, artists, & digital makers collaborate

Technical Support

Agreement with distribution third party

Agree on venue Technical Support

Produce Artefacts Update Online Platform

30

Event & Engagement Kit

Prepare venue

Discuss Feedback & Input into other Programmes

Produce Artefacts Update Digital Platform

Scenario 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1.

Sean’s parents are from the Western Isles, they always tell him about it but he cannot make a connection to the place or the people in it since he lives in Edinburgh

4.

Jim is a curator at Taigh Chearsabhagh.

He often finds it difficult to engage with the wider community with cultural content created by and through artists and curators.

7.

2.

5.

8.

Thomas came to North Uist 50 years ago, he is now retired. His wife has passed away.

Thomas often finds himself lonely and goes to the local cafe where he has a chance to socialise and meet new people on occasion

3.

Amy is an artist based in Glasgow. The Islands and its communities intrigue her.

Her recent artwork discusses technology and ownership within the islands. She has no connections in the community, and finds it difficult to carry out research and engage with locals

Through collaborative design efforts, Passages, an interactive platform is brought to life and launched through local channels

6.

A pop-up engagement event is held at one of the local restaurants where a museum worker and locals explore digitised cultural artefacts, an interesting dialogue on renewable energy takes place. The group create their story links about what ownership of technology means to them using Passages digital platform.

10 years have passed since the event happened. Taigh Chearsabhagh has been using and developing Passages over the years, and it has become a digital archive installation.

At the exhibition, Sean and his grandfather explore the content. Sean’s grandfather remembers everyone and tells Sean stories behind the stories. Sean has made a deeper connection with the local community, its unique stories, and people.

9.

While passages started off as a means to engage more people with Taigh Chearsabhagh, it has succeeded in bringing hidden dialogues to the surface, and creating deeper links within the community through storysharing 31

EXPLORE

the story pallets inside the box Astract

9%41 AM

100%

Astract

Power

Renewable Energy

Broken Flowers

Ownership

Alec Finlay & Hannah Imlach

Since 2005 Finlay has specialised in the field of renewable energy and, recently, considered the

Confiscation

relationship between island cultures, languages, – Norse, Gaelic and Scots – and place-names as prophetic markers of tides and marine energy technologies.

Briste | Broken Flowers is an imaginative response to the

Community

confiscation of quernstones in the Hebrides – an event that offers a critical perspective on power, community benefit, and more recent technologies.

Place-names

more...

Quernstones

Localism

Technology

Story

Click IN

Links

pallets in the chatterbox slots

Scroll to see media content

Astract

9%41 AM

100%

Renewable Energy

Astract

Power WWII

Naturalist Boats

Waves Crisis

Lobster

Submarine

Ownership

Commemoration

Migration

Create your story constellation!

Swimmer

Confiscation

Bernary Now that you havve explored all of these stories you can start to create your story by making new links!

Island Grimsay

Voyage Shore

Community

GOT IT

Stewarts

CREATE

Loss

Ca

Voyage

story constellations & share away

Place-names Quernstones

Cable Car

Lacuna Technology

Dead

Localism

Myth

Souls

Story

Links

create links between words

Astract

9%41 AM

100%

Power Community

Discover art, heritage, & community stories

Island My grandmother often told me stories of how the only

way to make bread using a quernstone was by going through landlord. Years ahead we are now looking at we Waves might utilise renewable energy, not only to save energy Crisis

Quernstones and be more conscientious of the environment, but

towards building benefiting the community in a real way. Our infrastructure needs a lot of work, but the Localism journey must start somewhere.

Ownership Renewable Energy

Story

32

Links

Astract

Interaction

9%41 AM

100%

Renewable Energy

Astract

9%41 AM

100%

Power Renewable Energy

Power Crisis

Crisis

Shore

Boats

Shore

Boats Waves

Migration

Submarine

Naturalist

Commemoration Migration

Commemoration

The Lobster & The Lacuna

Soul Vessels

Kirsty O’Connor

Kirsty O’Connor

Lobster

Ownership

Bernary

Ownership

It is a descent through the log books of Roberta Sinclair,

Soul Vessels is inspired by the beautiful wooden boats Confiscation

naturalist and submariner. Stationed on Berneray after

built by five generations of the Stewart family on

Grimsay

Grimsay. It also relates to the mythical significance, in

the second world war, she was a keen sea swimmer and

Confiscation

regularly explored the waters around the island, gaining

many cultures including the Celtic, of the boat as a

helped modify HCTC gondola No. 72 into an amphibious

personal losses, as well as honouring souls lost at sea in

vehicle and was the only passenger on the prototype’s

their search for a new home, linking the current

Community

Grimsay

the nickname An Giomach (The Lobster). Ms. Sinclair

carrier of the souls of the dead. It commemorates

single voyage. Thinking both of a species of intertidal

migration crisis with people having had to leave these more...

Voyage

sea snail (Lacuna Vincta) and also of the silent

Community

shores in the past.

unknowns of the world beneath the waves, she referred

Place-names

to her adapted cable car as The Lacuna.

WWII

Place-names

more...

Loss Loss

Quernstones

Lacuna

Stewarts Dead

Souls

Quernstones

Myth

Stewarts

Cable Car

Localism

Swimmer

Island

Localism

Technology

Myth

Souls

Dead

Technology

Story

Links

Story

Links

switch between Pallet media

switch to links

9%41 AM

Renewable Energy

100%

Astract

9%41 AM

100%

Power WWII

Naturalist Boats

Power

Waves Crisis

Lobster

Community Submarine Commemoration

Ownership Migration Swimmer

Island

Confiscation

My grandmother often told me stories of how the only way to make bread using a quernstone was by going through

Bernary

landlord. Years ahead we are now looking at we might utilise renewable energy, not only to save energy and be more

Island

Waves

Grimsay

consciensious of the environment, but towards building benefitting the community in a real way. Our infrastructure

Voyage

Crisis

needs alot of work, but the journey must start somewhere.

Quernstones

Shore

Community

Stewarts Loss

q

Voyage Place-names

w

e

r

t

y

Localism

u

i

p

o

Quernstones

able Car

Lacuna

Technology

s

a

Myth

d

f

g

h

j

k

l

Search

Ownership Dead

Localism

Souls

z

Story

x

Renewable Energy

c

v

b

n

m

! ,

? .

.?

123

Links

.?

123

type story or add media

9%41 AM

100%

Astract

9%41 AM

100%

Power Community My Constellation

Ferry Diaries

My Constellation

Ferry Diaries

Almost

Starry Boats

Renewable Energy Community

Power

Island

Rocky Island

Working on the rocket range has taught me alot over the years. I wonder how things would be if it did not exist in

Waves Quernstones

Place-names

the first place. Now that we have responsibility to care

Crisis

Waves

Almost

Starry Boats

Localism

for our environment using renewables is the only way Crisis forward. Although it should have been implemented years ago, we are still making a huge step in the right Technology direction. This is a new era for the Islands.Quernstones Voyage

Ownership Renewable Energy

Localism Salty

Shreds

Salty

Shreds

Rocky

Winter Snug

Rocky

Winter Snug

My Constellation

Scroll to see other stories 33

Prototype During my last feedback session with staff at Taigh Chearsabhagh, they showed real enthusiasm in taking the project forward.

They saw great value in the project for several reasons. They saw great potential in being able to produce their own bespoke artefacts through collaborations with artists, generating revenue, and greater exposure - they are considering investing in a laser cutter- .

They also saw its value through its ability to document engagements, building up to become an easily accessible archive.

They also think that its ability to adapt to a Lo-Fi version will help make it appeal to different groups within the community.

34

Refining prototype after feedback & testing

T

o create my prototype I extracted artworks

from

current

and

upcoming exhibitions. I showed this to one of the artists, and she was very fond of the idea, especially since she considers herself to be an artist and a maker.

I was able to test the interface and prototype with my colleagues, and thus improve it according to their recommendations.

Unfortunately

I

was unable to go back to the Islands for testing, however I was able to communicate

with

stakeholders

remotely through conference calls and by mailing the artefact.

To test my prototype I communicated remotely with stakeholders, & tested interface with colleagues 35

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Master of Arts. University of Washington.

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This project has first and foremost enabled me to demonstrate to myself that I am able to take the learnings of my master’s year in design innovation and interaction design, and the apply them on my own; illustrating how my design practice has grown and matured. Working with real collaborators and communities of interest has made me realise the potential and the impact design can have on people’s lives.

Being able to follow through and document a rigorous design process has been imperative to changing the way I think of my design practice. I have developed a sense of responsibility towards the design decisions I make; aware of the findings I take forward and those I leave behind. In addition, learning to navigate and adapt to changes at moments of frustration with the project has informed my practice immensely; I have learned to turn obstacles into valuable findings that inform my design process, rather than allowing them to bring the project to a halt.

Finally, being able to explore how interaction design as an established design discipline can be integrated into the practices of design innovation has been a very valuable experience for me. Although formulating a new way of doing and understanding the discipline has been tough, it has allowed me to imagine the different avenues design can grow into. I think that such emerging practices will inform not only my own future projects, but also hopefully other design practitioners’ too.

On a final note, I would like to thank my family and friends for their continuous support throughout the year, and my supervisor, George Jaramillo, for his valuable direction and input. I also thank Taigh Chearsabhagh and Stepping Stone staff for providing me with the opportunity to work with them, and bringing this project to fruition. Lastly, I thank Leigh Anne Hepburn and Jeroen Bloom for their valued support.

39