Immaterial Collections, Ephemeral Exhibitions: animations in exhibition design

Abstract

The research is about the use of animations in the design of exhibitions in intangible-themed museums, which are seen as spectacular and are becoming increasingly popular nowadays. Animation, a language that has always been close to the universe of children, media manifestations, entertainment and fantasy, comes up against the museum, an institution with social authority, centred on its concern with reality and the historical document. The collision between these two worlds gave rise to this research. It starts by investigating the museum universe, with a view to technological use and the relationship between the museum, society, entertainment, leisure and education. The culture of design is brought into the discussion and how it is linked to the design of exhibitions relating to intangible heritage. Exposure design is brought into tension with the experiences and strategies of fruition and creation in cinema and television. The concepts of immateriality and ephemerality are also explored. It also explores the concept of animation and the interface between reality and fantasy, looking at differences and similarities in relation to live action cinema and the existence of documentary and educational animations. Animation is understood within the culture of design, with practices and uses in the media universe, coming to the conclusion that its main contemporary characteristic is experimentation. It concludes with an analysis of two museums in São Paulo: the São Paulo State Immigration Museum and the Portuguese Language Museum, observing, based on the concepts studied, the uses given to animations in the exhibition design projects of the two institutions.