A Designerly Way of Curating: Reflecting on Interaction Design Methods for Curatorial Practice

This chapter examines how interaction design methods can be applied in the curating of (new) media art in particular by developing new practices of networked curating and audience activities. These practices reflect on changes in the modes of cultural production, particularly those related to the Internet and the impact on the work of the curator. They aim to both reflect the content of the exhibition and extend the artworks by including their behaviors and characteristics. They examine how curating can occur with the use of technologies and offer new modes of engagement for audiences. In the following sections I discuss these issues drawing on two examples from my curatorial practice. The first example explores the use of augmented reality as part of the curatorial process, which is used to present artworks simultaneously online and within a gallery. The artwork necessitated that the audience interact via the use of their smartphones. The second uses scenarios – a methodology from interaction design – as part of the curatorial process to engage the artists and audience to the conceptual narrative of the exhibition.