Mediation as connection and objection Multiple, mediated modes of engagement with a museum exhibition Presentation for DASTS 2011, Center for STS-studier, Århus Universitet, Conference theme: Inventing connections Session: Design Connections and Objections Connie Svabo, PhD, Assistant Professor Space, Place, Mobility and Urban Studies (MOSPUS) Research Unit & Centre for Experience Research (COF) Department of Environmental, Social and Spatial Change (ENSPAC) Roskilde University (RUC)

Mediation To associate; to communicate between two parties Inspired by Serres and Latour: simultaneous establishing of a connection and the distortion which takes place in the connection Materials, technologies, objects mediate spatial experiences and modes of engagement

Naturama Museum of natural history annual visits 50% of visitors are under 18 Association of visitors and exhibition

14 months, several later re-visits Observation – 39 days, 21 days in exhibition, the rest in offices – written notes, audio recordings, video recordings, use of spy-wear camera glasses Interviews – 26 on-site visitor interviews + staff interviews Focus increasingly on children and youngsters Method: ethnographic fieldwork

Fellow visitors Exhibition visitor phone camera visitor animal costume visitor exercise pamphlet

Mediation as connection and objection - Portable technologies help visitors associate to the exhibition, but/and they do this in enactments of specific versions of the exhibition and the visitor -Understanding relations between users and built space needs to take into account hybrid users and the complexities of ’use logic’ where action is heterogeneously negotiated between staff, users, exhibition and other mediators