Emmajane
>>
Here at the Wallace we are looking into ideas as to what New Media we =
might be able to employ in the galleries in future, providing access to =
information about our collection. In order to recommend what might be =
best for us, we would like to see what is out there at the moment in =
terms of terminals, PDAs etc. We want to look at them in terms of =
content, technology, practical issues and, obviously, cost. =20
>>
Nice broad question then... Hmm, where to start
I would say that the most important thing is not to see New Media as something
which you ought to have because its the thing to
do but think in terms of it solving
certain problems for you, communicating
particular content or being used by particular
audiences. This will make it much easier for you
to focus in on what you want and
why you want it. It'll also make it easier to justify the time and expense.
The next thing to do is probably to go and look
at what other people have done. For the
arts & crafts field in London I would go and look
at the V & A British Galleries, The National
Portrait Gallery and The National Gallery. The
Science Museum has more new media than anyone
else and there are also other institutions doing
interesting work such as the Tate but
that should get you started. Make sure you actually use the exhibits - they are
designed to be interactive - and you can probably
get in touch with the people at the
institution who will tell you how they
commissioned them and how much they cost.
Cost is very difficult to estimate but for an absolutely bare bones kiosk you
are probably looking at at least £6k with the average being around £10-12k.
If you're looking to spend a fair bit of money or
want to consider all the options
you might want to engage a consultant (such as err, me) to help you.
Finally, when you actually come to the commissioning and development process
you might find some of the advice on my web site
at www.joecutting.com/advice.html useful.
Start with "So you want to put a computer
interactive in your museum? - A beginner’s guide"
and work on from there.
All the best with your project
Joe
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