This is a review of a work of interactive digital literature called ‘The O’. I will evaluate it using the effect on the reader of the conceptual frameworks of grasp, figure, and memory as outlined by Bourchardon and Heckman (2012).
The work’s context comes from the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania where it serves as a replacement for text in the Galleries allowing the bare brutalist interior architecture to showcase the objects without the distraction and obfuscation of traditional didactic panels which traditionally would be combined with supplementary material and sold as a hardcopy exhibition catalog for your coffee table. ‘The O’ represents a radical departure from tradition in educating and guiding the audience’s journey in the museum context which is important as “since the beginning of museums, exhibit labels have been used as instruments for torture on helpless visitors” (Bitgood, 1991, p.115) and now they can choose to interact with an IOS application of much greater sophistication and flexibility.
On the museums web page describing the app the first paragraph starts “You can ignore the O and wander around in a state of pleasant reverie / moderate anxiety. Or else use it to read and listen to stories, essays, music and interviews” (The O, 2019). The collection is the focus and the information accessible within the app provides additional optional lenses through which to engage.
Grasp is scaffolded for the audience in multiple ways through (2006–2019 Fresh & New(er), 2011) “technology concierge skills of the ticketing staff [and seeing graphics] clearly explaining each of the main interface screens of the O as well” behind their desk. You can either borrow an Ipod touch loaded with the work or download, with MONA’s WiFi, to your own IOS device. Wherever you are in the museum you can tap the ‘O’ button to see a list of objects around you and then you can click on that object on your screen to access several different flavours of information about it called Artwank, Gonzo, or Ideas. You can also book into exhibitions that have limited or timed entry. The temptation of institutions for creating their apps as an overwrought swiss army knife of options has been avoided through the outsourcing of design to an external and proficient contractor.
Figure is carefully considered through the design of the work. The simplicity of tapping the O button whenever you wish to engage and the limited flavours of information the app provides
Combine effectively to satisfy the viewer’s need for immediacy. Artwank describes the works in a traditional curatorial art history fashion, Gonzo is mostly words from the museum’s owner David Walsh, and Ideas are questions or statements related to the object but are not the same on everyone’s devices which obviates a siloed experience when visiting as a group. Audiences are wary of sloppy visual design or user interfaces due to increasing exposure to quality applications and “The O” satisfies in action.
Memory is to me the most distinctive dynamic of my experience with the work. I visited MONA on the 11th June 2018. I know this because within the work is a section on my visit which contains a list of works I observed, a list of works I missed, and a section on any ratings of love or hate. Although I used the app for a significant period of time while visiting I have now spent more time observing my journey from the mainland of Australia rather than Tasmania. Problematically I know that there were other works that intrigued me that are not on the list as well as some entries that I stood outside but did not enter that are there as if I engaged. Seeing the thumbnail images brings back memories of how I felt in the locations and images or sounds in my mind from within the specific exhibitions. I find this aspect of this example of digital literature the most evocative of all as it draws me back into the sensory experiences of moving through and discovering a plethora of wonders and horrors amidst a collection themed explicitly around sex and death.
Though the work is an app it replaces the manifestation which would normally be bound into physical book form combining all the didactic panels designed to sit on your coffee table. It is world leading digital literature from the museum context that evokes engagement, recollection, and interaction.
Grasp 4/5
Figure 4/5
Memory 5/5
Reference List
Art Processors. (2019). Off The Wall. Retrieved from https://www.artprocessors.net/projects/mona/
Museum of Old and New Art,. (2019). The O. Retrieved from https://mona.net.au/museum/the-o
Bitgood, S. (1991). The ABCs of Label Design. Visitor Studies: Theory, Research and Practice, 8, 115-129.
2006–2019 Fresh & New(er). (2011). Experiencing The O at MONA – a review. Retrieved from https://www.freshandnew.org/2011/10/experiencing-the-o-at-mona-a-review/