The Language of Data in the Exhibition Discourse: Intertwining Architects, Curators, Artists, Scientists, and Users

Architecture and neuroscience seem to embrace two opposed research models. Particularly in the realm of language, architects use metaphors and subjective meanings, while scientists base their hypotheses on measurements and objective definitions. For these two disparate disciplines to successfully collaborate, they must develop shared vocabularies and understandings. A possible common ground is the language of data. When data are available, architects and neuroscientists can discuss and test their theories. Despite the current lack of empirical data, the data-informed design approach is expanding new research domains, the study of visitor experience in museums being one example. User-generated data from the environment or body sensors, as well as digital traces left via smartphones, offer the possibility of a new language sharable by architects, curators, artists, scientists, and visitors. Outlining a critical review and systematization of recent significant cases is essential for future experiments in the exhibit design field, for both architecture and neuroscience scholars. This work investigates the use of Beacon technology (Internet of Things data) and wearable biometric monitoring devices (Quantified Buildings and Self data) in mapping the psychogeographical effects of specific exhibition arrangements on the affective behavior and engagement of visitors. Examples of analyzed case studies are the Brooklyn Museum (New York, NY), the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, IL), the Cooper Hewitt (New York, NY), the Tech Museum of Innovation (San Jose, CA), the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid, Spain), the Louvre (Paris, France), the eMotion project (St. Gallen, Switzerland), and the National Gallery of Singapore (Singapore).