a little thesis story
Hello there! Today, I’m going to talk about something that might seem boring at first glance, but I promise it won’t be: My Master’s thesis. Yes, you heard that right — these often seem like perfect material for falling asleep, but I’m here to tell you about my efforts to make mine stand out. I don’t want my thesis to get lost in the depths of national thesis databases. It makes me sad to think that all that hard work might just end up being a basic number. So, it’s time to take action! I’ve decided to embark on this journey to tell you the story of my thesis and provide you with a summary. I hope it’ll be an engaging and enlightening read for those who can’t endure lengthy academic papers.
Before delving into the topic, let me emphasize this: the Master’s thesis period, even though it may not sound like the most exciting experience, truly demands consistent effort and self-motivation. First and foremost, you must believe in yourself and come to terms with the fact that it can be a solitary journey. (What a cliche!) But fear not, it does come to an end, and your efforts will be rewarded. Trying to enjoy the process is key! Think of it more as a me-time event of research, weekly reading sessions you’re doing for yourself, or a daily dose of new knowledge, rather than just an obligation. Developing your own methods, keeping regular notes, and not shying away from using various technological resources are crucial. I admit, I can sometimes be biased against technology. I stick to one familiar website and avoid exploring others, and I might discover some technologies late. -I’ll make a brief explanation here, but thank goodness AI wasn’t as advanced when I was writing my thesis :) I’m well aware that AI might have made us a bit lazy in some aspects, maybe it would have made some parts of my work easier, but perhaps then, each sentence of my thesis wouldn’t have been meticulously crafted by me. I can be a bit old-fashioned in some regards, a little confession :)- Where were we? Loving your thesis, learning to enjoy it, loving the subject — these are really important. In fact, the most crucial thing is choosing a topic, selecting the right one, “the one” you’ll never tire of. It took me ages to decide on mine, even though my thesis lasted for 2 years — I was working full-time during this period — I never grew tired of my topic. Yes, I got tired of writing my thesis at times, of course, but never of the subject. It’s strange, but even at my most tearful moments, thoughts like “wow, this technology is amazing” would pop into my mind. By the way, I realize I haven’t mentioned my Master’s program or my thesis topic up to this point in the article. Yes, I’ll get to that part too. Regardless of your thesis topic, there are a few essential things that should always find: plenty of motivation, a bit of peace, and beautiful cafes to write your thesis… Anyway, let’s not prolong this part any further. Shall we move on to my thesis topic and a brief summary? I believe you’ve understood me pretty well up to this point.
For those who’ve read my previous piece called “A journey from Middle East Technical University to life -1”, they’ll know, but for those who haven’t, let me start with a brief introduction from that side as well. After completing my undergraduate studies in Industrial Product Design at METU (Middle East Technical University), driven by a hunger for learning new things and expanding my perspective, I found myself applying to graduate programs. Following more personalized choices based on my interests, I received a worthy scholarship from Istanbul Bilgi University. With the desire to move to Istanbul and find work, this scholarship served as a golden ticket for me. After eagerly taking courses in various fields (gender studies, sociology, art history, etc.), we arrived at the pivotal moment. This part always scared me a bit. Because I hadn’t graduated by writing a thesis during my undergraduate years, nor had I written any academic papers for a long time. Therefore, finding my topic took quite some time, it changed several times, deepened, narrowed down, and finally reached the desired state (albeit a bit late!) I wanted my thesis to revolve around museums, digitization, and design. The main reason for incorporating design was my desire to be able to use my thesis in a professional field related to my profession someday. Although I initially wanted to write a thesis directly related to product design and museums, I couldn’t seem to find the right topic related to product design. So, I opted for a topic that combined my newfound interest at the time, which is now my primary profession, digital design, with museology. I chose the category of “digitization in museums,” but this topic was incredibly vast. There were countless museums worldwide, numerous types of museums, and various museum departments. In other words, there were thousands of topics to explore! I was sure I wanted to write about art museums, but where in the world and what specific aspect of digitization in museums would I focus on? I began my research. As I delved deeper, I found new examples and grew to enjoy the research. As my topic branched out, I struggled to narrow it down. At one point, this topic turned more into a literature review than a thesis. I found great joy in reading fascinating research and even wanted to incorporate poetic narratives about museums into my thesis, inadvertently seeking pleasure in my own world, far from the confines of academic writing. Despite my advisor’s insistence on an academic tone, I still wanted to infuse bits of myself into my thesis, starting with an opening quote I loved.
“Museums are wonderful, frustrating, stimulating, irritating, hideous things, patronising, serendipitous, dull as dishwater, and curiously exciting, tunnel-visioned yet potentially visionary. The real magic is that any of them can be all these simultaneously . . . What is a museum and what is it not?” Bonniface and Fowler 1993
Afterward, I conducted numerous readings, devouring anything related to art museums. I delved into literature, that took 28 pages of references into my thesis. I diligently took notes on everything I loved, jotting down whatever came to mind. Although piecing together these disparate fragments later proved challenging, writing a cohesive draft in one go is already a painful task. I’m sure there are various techniques for thesis writing, but I seem to have focused more on the topic than on pondering extensively about thesis writing itself. I cannot brag about that, but I believe discovering one’s own methods to have a better thesis routine is equally important.
Returning to our topic, I initially provided definitions such as what a museum is and how museology emerged. Surprisingly, there isn’t a single official definition of a museum, but I can offer this definition from the International Council of Museums: “A museum is a permanent institution, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates, and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purpose of education, study, and enjoyment.” (ICOM, 2007). The word “museum” derives from the Greek word “mouseion,” originating in the 1700s in Greece. Its meaning translates to “seat of the Muses,” symbolizing a philosophical organization or a place for meditation of the nine goddesses of the arts in Greek mythology. While initially used to denote a place for philosophical gatherings in the Roman Empire and a gathering place for scholars in Egypt, this mysterious word has taken on various meanings in different countries and times. Its current meaning began to emerge in 15th-century Italy with Lorenzo de Medici’s collection. Without delving too much into historical details, I’d like to shed light on one of the most intriguing parts I came across in my readings.
I want to talk about a concept that emerged in Renaissance Europe in the 16th century: “Cabinets of Curiosities”. (Image 1) These cabinets were display rooms predominantly composed of objects collected by nobles (not just artworks yet; their scope was much broader). These rooms were not open to the public; they were places where only the owner and other nobles in their social circles could view the items. I’ll include a photo below; just imagining the objects that could be inside these cabinets fills me with curiosity. I truly wish I could travel back in time to visit one of these rooms :)
After this point, I criticize historical information such as the first open-air museum and the first public museum. Taking the story of digitalization in museology from day one truly proved trouble for the reader :), but equally eye-opening for me, to be honest. Moreover, in articles I particularly focused on, which were related to museums but approached more from a philosophical standpoint, I noticed that the ideology of museums evolves. The concept of museums, once object-focused — as you might notice — gradually transforms into a visitor-centered space. Additionally, the term “museum” carries various meanings. It can become a place not only to preserve cultural or artistic heritage but also for learning, entertainment, and finding tranquility. With changing technologies and trends, museology is also evolving, striving to attract the interest of younger generations and incorporating technology into their exhibits. These spaces, where photography was once mostly prohibited, are now developing their own social media strategies and striving to build their own audiences.
The point that particularly interests me is the interaction between the audience and the museum. As an experienced designer, I’m aware of the endless possibilities in this realm of experience. Unfortunately, there aren’t many museums in our country that focus on the museum experience. However, this situation is changing gradually, with an increasing number of museums and design studios working on these issues. I’m particularly drawn to shaping my professional life in this field. On this topic, Morris says, “Museum visitors cannot be regarded as guests or spectators. They have become active members and delegates in creating the entire museum experience.” Thus, the audience has become an essential element that actively participates in shaping the museum layout and design.”
After that, I don’t stop, and I dive straight into the journey of digitization of artworks. I talk about how the accessibility of the artwork has increased with the reproduction of the object through photography, which was previously difficult to access or see without being present in the location. Accessibility can indeed be a wonderful thing, but sometimes my old-fashioned mindset kicks in, and I think to myself, “They say everything was much more valuable in the past.” With the sudden increase in accessibility at the end of the 20th century, the perspective on art also changes all of a sudden. The experience of going to a museum now becomes something more than just “seeing” the artwork. Perhaps at this point, the museum gains new meanings. Perhaps now, the journey to see a piece of artwork, once seen as a hassle, transforms into “experiencing and seeing that artwork alongside the people in that museum at that exact moment.”
Then, technology advances and, like it permeates every aspect of our lives, it also enters museums. In my thesis, I wrote about digitalization in operational aspects, but I won’t bore you with that here :) Therefore, I’ll just touch upon the fun parts related to the audience. Museums are beginning to use digitalization for various purposes. They are creating digital communities, increasing their presence on social media to reach wider audiences, and furthermore, by establishing websites, they are providing spaces where visitors can perform all operational tasks such as purchasing tickets, keeping track of events, and even viewing artworks digitally. Additionally, they are enhancing in-museum activities to provide visitors with better experiences.
I divided my thesis into several sections and attempted to narrow down my research scope by categorizing my investigations into these categories. Creating a framework was crucial for me to place my content. In the first section, I tried to discuss the prominent points of digitalization in museums. These were, as mentioned earlier, the reproduction of artworks through photography and the increase in accessibility. Secondly, starting from operational aspects, I talk about museums incorporating digital technologies in every aspect. Lastly, I touch upon the global circulation of art, the increased accessibility of art, and the positive and negative aspects that come with it (ethical concerns, etc.). In the second section, I discuss various technologies used in museums. There are actually a plethora of technologies used in museums, mostly in America and Europe. In Turkey, there are places that use or are starting to use these technologies, but compared to America and Europe, the usage is minimal. In fact, in the third and final section, I focus on Turkey and narrow down the scope even further. I consolidate my research on museology and digitalization in Turkey.
Various digital technologies are extensively used in museums. (I’ve already mentioned in the first part but…) There are numerous technological applications such as digital sensors, artificial intelligence technologies, QR codes, augmented reality, touchscreen displays, and kiosks. I’d like to talk about a few applications that stand out in my mind.
In 2002, a kiosk was installed right next to Michelangelo’s sculptures in the Galleria dell’ Accademia to showcase digital images of the David statue to visitors. (Image 2)This was primarily an application made for academic examination. The kiosk featured a three-dimensional model of the David statue. The purpose of this kiosk was mainly to provide viewers with a closer look at the statue. While viewers looking at the statue from a certain distance could see it quite clearly with their eyes, it wasn’t easy to see the details at the top of this statue, which exceeded 5 meters in height. Thanks to the three-dimensional modeling and shading provided by the technologies of that time, Michelangelo’s unique work became much more accessible for viewers to examine comfortably.
Another memorable example is from the “Resonant Objects” exhibition showcased at the V&A Museum in 2019. (Image 4) In this exhibition, specialized sound systems were installed on the glass of the display showcasing musical instruments, allowing approaching viewers to hear the sounds of the musical instruments. With these sound elements, an interactive auditory experience was created between the viewer and the artwork.
Another example that struck me as somewhat peculiar is the installation titled “Dali Lives” at the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg in 2019. This section consisted of a big screen and an interactive artificial intelligence production video. (Image 4) Visitors could ask questions directly to Dali himself, gather information, and even take selfies. The museum management collaborated with an advertising agency to create this installation, using numerous videos, photographs, quotes, and interviews of Dali to realistically capture his movements and gestures (Salvador Dali Museum, 2020). What surprised me is that due to the potential for easy misuse of such deepfake videos, ethical and legal considerations dictate the necessity of obtaining consent from individuals or their heirs. In this case, permission was obtained from the Dali Foundation in Spain, as Dali himself had no living family members. However, whether it is morally correct and ethically sound to animate a deceased person in this manner is a question that truly leaves me pondering. (Nevertheless, I must admit, I would have also relished the opportunity to exchange a few words with Dali in that museum!)
After discussing examples from around the world, I would like to provide an example from Turkey, particularly the Pera Museum, from which I gained valuable information about their technological applications during my thesis research. The Pera Museum is one of the leading museums in Turkey that keeps itself updated technologically. They believe that every initiative in this regard enhances the interaction between art and the audience. Therefore, they strive to digitize all of their collections. You may recall that especially during the pandemic, such digital arrangements became quite common. While I personally believe that museums are places to be visited physically, for people with physical limitations or those who may not have the means or suitable location to visit, these types of applications greatly increase accessibility. Even now, there are many digital exhibitions you can explore. (Image 5) These exhibitions are digital representations of the real environment created using 3D scanning technology. You can stand in front of the artworks just as if you were touring the Pera Museum and read their descriptions comfortably from your couch. If you enjoy digital experiences, I highly recommend you to visit.
When it comes to the conclusion, our literature review indicates that although technological advancements in museums in Turkey have progressed, we are somewhat behind globally. Hopefully, the value placed on interaction between museums and visitors will increase, and technological developments will continue to shed light in this direction.
As I come to the end of my writing, I now believe that I can reach my thesis to a few people through this text, and it makes me happy. Because life is precious, and I believe that our creations are worthy of recognition in every aspect. While social media is flooded with content and our attention spans shrink, if you’ve read this far, I’m grateful. I hope you’ve enjoyed it.
Unfortunately, I can’t provide a direct link to the entire thesis, but you can access it by typing my name in the author field or by typing the thesis number “775159” while the thesis number option is selected in the search bar on the homepage of the National Thesis Center. You can also find all my citations there :)
English language option on the website.
https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/
