In response to general trends in society and media, museums are currently undertaking digital initiatives to adapt to these new developments and so retain their relevance for users of the future within their context of education, mediation and entertainment.
From the perspective of the Frankfurt Museum of Applied Arts and its Orange Hive Agency, the challenges that are arising within the framework of a museum’s expansion to a “content brand“ have manifested themselves in the following areas:
In the future, the question as to how a museum feels to its visitors should therefore be no longer dependent on which form of access to its contents they choose. Digital access channels are rapidly increasing what is already true of the physical museum visit, namely that every visitor is different, as is every one of their visits.
Within a framework of holistically viewing the area of conflict between “How does the museum communicate?” and “How does the individual visitor perceive it?” all potential points of connection should find an opportunity to create and multiply cultural values: Content plus Context generates Contact.
A “communicative relationship” can thus be formed where the roles of sender and recipient are constantly alternating and both sides consequently become interwoven: the institution creates the thematic framework and through participation the visitor brings the museum alive.
