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Exhibit sound design for public presentation spaces
Museum
Management
and Curatorship
(1994),
13, 177-183
Exhibit Sound Design for Public Presentation Spaces MICHAEL STOCKER
Introduction In the design of museum exhibits, much thought is given to what the presentation environment looks like, but it is not often considered what the environment should sound like. Sound is the ‘hidden dimension’ in exhibit design, capable of transporting the visitor into an exhibit’s imaginary environment. In considering sound, we are not just referring to the fidelity of speakers, or the information content of a presentation, rather we are including the integration of sound and noise within the context of an exhibit and its environment. There are three basic considerations in the design of exhibit sound: the content of the produced sound for an exhibit; the presentation hardware, including speakers and control systems; and the acoustical setting or sound environment. All three of these considerations can complement each other, and strengths in one area can fill in for weaknesses in other areas to a certain degree, though the acoustical setting is the only element of the three that can stand alone as a presentation tool. And while most of the sound design effort for an exhibit will go towards the production of audio material and system design, the environment in which the sound is presented is often overlooked. The importance of this observation will be explored later in this article. Designing
for Sound
In designing any type of exhibit, the first question that must be asked is ‘What are the objectives of the Exhibit?‘. Once the objectives of the exhibit are clearly defined, they must always be used as the benchmark by which all design elements are considered, bearing in mind that the measure of the lasting impact of an exhibit lies in how effectively the exhibit pulls the visitor into the presentation. Though sound may not be the key element in an exhibit presentation, for most exhibit visitors, sound (or noise) will always be present in an exhibition space and as such should be considered to some degree as a part of all designs. If sound is not a presentation element, it has to be asked whether the environment is too noisy to concentrate on written material, or whether it is too quiet to allow the visitor to be comfortable when using the exhibit and sharing their experiences with others in it.
0260-4779/94/020177-070 1994Butterworth-Heinemann
Ltd.
178
Exhibit
Sound Design for Public Presentation
Spaces
If sound is an exhibit element, consideration should be given to: whether the quality of the sound is easy to listen to; whether the sound presentation conflicts with other perceptual cues of the exhibit; whether the amount of spoken information is too cumbersome to convey easily the objectives of the exhibit; and whether the sound presentation captures the listener and does not just add to the overall noise level in the exhibit environment. These are just some of the issues that exhibit designers need to consider about sound even before the actual sound elements or acoustical environment are designed. Sound Production
Content
Sound production falls within three basic categories: narrative, music and ambience. These categories directly correspond to the voice, music and sound effects categories used in movie sound production. All three categories may contain information, all may work together and all can stand alone. In fact sound production can either be used as an enhancement to a visual or tactile exhibit, or act as a complete presentation in itself. Narrative production can be in the form of a scripted information piece read by a voice actor, or as ‘oral histories’ and stories recorded from the accounts and tales of people whose experience supports or is the subject of the exhibit. Care must be taken, especially in the production of scripted information pieces, so that the piece does not become too complex or try to deliver too much information. A narrative piece that is too heavily loaded will give the listener the feeling of being lectured to or spoken at. Often some of the risk of this can be ameliorated by using music or ambience to buffer the spoken script as well as to carry some of the information. Oral histories and stories can have the advantage of carrying subconscious information without the ‘list of facts’ feel that a scripted production may have, though oral histories do run the risk of being too wordy. Careful editing of oral histories may be required to present the point of the piece clearly while retaining the significance of the narrative. One advantage of recording oral histories for a presentation is that this material actually becomes a part of the exhibitor’s collection in terms of it being unique and valuable information. Catalogued properly, it can be archived and used for research and education in order to further the objectives of the original exhibit. Whichever form of narrative is used, keeping the presentation sounding natural and unforced will go a long way towards retaining the attention of the listeners. A ‘corny’ delivery, or a poor voice actor, can easily undermine the credibility of an exhibit regardless of how compelling is the story or script. Although all sound will have some emotional impact on a subconscious and conscious level, music can most directly affect the mood of the listener. Even when music is used in a strictly documentary manner, such as in historic musical examples, it will affect the listener’s emotional disposition. Music can be a direct element of an exhibit or presentation, as an accompaniment to visual and motion elements, or used as an ambience to set the mood of a piece. Ambient music can also be used to tie exhibit areas together thematically or to highlight specific areas or topics within an exhibit. The decision to use pre-recorded or pre-published music, as opposed to original music specially composed for the presentation, will be determined by a number of factors, including event synchronization, historic content, availability of appropriate material and cost. It should not be assumed
MICHAEL
STOCKER
179
that original music will necessarily be more costly than pre-published material. The cost will be dependent on many variables such as exclusivity, repackaging for sales and the variety of material needed. Use of the exhibit music to sell as a CD or cassette from a museum store, for example, could significantly shift the composer’s or publisher’s licence priorities. Regardless of what is the source of the music, it is important that the performance rights are secured. If the music is original and composed for the the composer may have a performance licence agreement or presentation, ownership clause in their contract. Music that has been previously published needs to be cleared for use, even if it is performed specifically for the presentation. This requires that an agreement be made with the publisher. If the publisher is not known, rights can be arranged through one of many musical performance rights societies in their respective countries. These include ASCAP (American Society of Composers and Producers) or BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) in the Americas, the Performance Rights Society in Great Britain, and SACEM (Societt des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique) in France, for example. Perhaps the strongest impact of all sound presentation techniques can be derived from the creation of ambient sound environments. An ambient environment can transport the imagination through time and space, allowing the listeners to visit tropical rain forests, 19th century railway stations, arctic tundra or aboriginal villages, all without moving. A static visual exhibit which would otherwise be viewed by a visitor just in passing will be stared at in detail if it is enhanced with a complementary ambient sound environment. Sound environments can be custom tailored to an exhibit, with sound cues keyed into other exhibit elements, or sound and environments can be resourced from existing productions and libraries. As is the case with music, pre-recorded and produced ambient environments and sound effects need to be licensed and cleared for use. A sound resource library will generally have a stock sound use agreement, as will the producer for custom sound ambients. On the other hand, if custom sound is recorded for the presentation, clear ownership rights should always be established with the recordist and producer. If the exhibitor retains ownership of recorded material, it can again become part of the exhibitor’s ‘collection’, available for research and re-use in other settings. The disposition of the ownership will, however, inevitably have some impact on the cost of the custom recorded sound.
Presentation Equipment and Techniques With the availability of new and exciting presentation technologies it is easy to be distracted from the content of an exhibit design and to allow the technologies to drive the presentation. It is perhaps during the equipment selection, more than at any other stage of the sound design, where the question of the content of the exhibit must always be addressed. This is due in part to the fact that the dazzling technical quality of much of the equipment available can all too easily become a distraction in the design process. It is also true that, unlike the sound designers, the equipment vendors have every interest in selling state-of-the-art equipment which is not directly tied to the effectiveness of the sound presentation. Sound presentation technologies currently employed in an exhibit can range in
180
Exhibit Sound Design for Public Presentation Spaces
complexity (and expense) from a simple speaker on a repeating sound loop to a complex interactive audio database that calls up specific localized sound sources on a cue selected by the visitor on a video touch screen. There are so many possibilities in presentation technologies that many trade publications are dedicated to their promotion and understanding. It suffices to say that it is beyond the scope of this article to enumerate the possibilities. However, when considering what equipment to use, durability must be thoroughly evaluated. This is true of all materials used in public spaces, but especially true of technical gear because of the higher cost of qualified maintenance personnel and of replacing failed components. In the assessment of equipment use, it is not extraordinary to take the anticipated public traffic for an exhibit and triple it, using this as a benchmark for establishing a technical maintenance budget. Remember, buttons will be pressed relentlessly, with keyboards smashed, headphone cables yanked and monitors hit, over and over again, and the abuse of these things will be directly proportional to how exciting and compelling is the presentation. Safety is another consideration that should never be overlooked. All sound technologies use electricity and power, and although the audio and control voltages in equipment exposed to the public are generally low, and pose no threat of electric shock, heat and sparks could be generated, with a risk of fire. Operators must make sure that all technical installation procedures adhere to local and national electrical, fire and building codes. Furthermore, it is equally important to confirm that the audio volume levels in a presentation do not exceed those levels that are potentially damaging to the visitor or the exhibition staff. The OSHA (U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has established guidelines for safe short-term and long-term sound and noise exposure. Other countries have equivalent governing agencies and standards. These guidelines should be used as an upper limit for sound and noise levels, as they are designed for work environments, not educational and leisure environments. Digital technology has been a boon for technical presentation systems. Through computer control, it has allowed the designer much more flexibility and allowed a greater reliability of equipment, gained in part through the use of fewer moving parts than were required by older analogue technologies. Digital technology standards have also come to a level of maturity where there is some room for growth and ‘updates’, as well as cross compatibility between manufacturers, to ameliorate the concern for immediate obsolescence once a system has been installed. Nevertheless, with all of the sound sources and control available, there is still a common factor to all sound system systems designs-speakers. Speakers are also potentially the weakest link because it is almost axiomatic that the larger the speaker, the better the fidelity and the more believable the sound, and the success of an audio presentation, though dependent can be made or broken by the believability of the sound. on content, Unfortunately, not many exhibits can accommodate the visual appearance of and so many tricks must be employed, either to large speaker enclosures, decrease the size of the enclosure or to conceal the enclosures in other exhibit elements. With the exception of headphones and monophonic ‘talking boxes’, it is also important to try to maintain a ‘sound field’ in an exhibit space. This demand is
MICHAEL
STOCKER
181
often in conflict with the need to conceal speakers in an exhibit, or ensure that the sound field does not spill over into adjacent exhibit spaces and distract visitors in them. There are often many opportunities for compromise when placing speakers within an exhibit space. A talking box in an exhibit hall is just that, an information kiosk or video monitor with a sound source delivering narrative. Regardless of how compelling is the information, a visitor will be easily distracted from this type of presentation unless the talking box is isolated from other interesting sensations in the museum. It is a complete stand alone exhibit and should be placed in a corner or near benches so that it can serve as a rest stop as well as a presentation.
The Acoustical
Setting
Undoubtedly the most neglected aspects of exhibit design are the acoustical considerations. It is a well known, but an often overlooked, fact that the ambient acoustical environment influences the behaviour of the people within it. People tend to make more noise in reverberative environments, honking horns in tunnels or whistling in large gymnasiums for example, and conversely, people tend to speak quietly in acoustically dampened environments, such as thickly carpeted offices, coat closets or libraries. Though traditional concerns of high speech intelligibility, low ambient noise levels and good space isolation are common acoustical design objectives in exhibition spaces, the affects of ‘psycho-acoustics’ can still play a strong role in the suspension of belief and the overall impact of an exhibit experience. Psycho-acoustics in space design refers to the psychological effect that the acoustics of a space have on the visitor. Although people obtain strong direct visual cues from their immediate environment, providing them with an empirical view of the space they are occupying, acoustics, like smell and peripheral vision, will set the subconscious cues to give the visitors a sense of where they are. These cues, when carefully designed, can help to encourage the visitors to move, to rest, to feel vulnerable and exposed, or to feel safe and contained. In public space design, psycho-acoustics can be used to encourage traffic flow or create waiting areas, but more importantly, by creating acoustical spaces which may contradict, or are appropriately juxtaposed to the visitors’ visual experience, new windows of perception are opened, allowing the experience to permeate into the subconscious. Due to the strength of this effect, acoustical design can play an important role in exhibit sound productions. It can also play an important role in consolidating the impact of an exhibition facility on the visitor even without the use of sound elements in the design. An example of a totally integrated aural environment might be the acoustical dampening of the presentation space to induce the visitors to be quiet and become submerged in an aural Space Sculpture. This strategy might, in skilled hands, be very effective in the museum presentation of pristine natural environments such as a ‘Desert Savannah’, a ‘Tropical Rain Forest’, or a ‘Deep Water Aquarium’, while in another environment, it might be appropriate to integrate the sounds of the visitor by masking and blending them in the acoustical treatments so as to cloud the distinction between the visitors and the exhibit. This strategy could be used, for example, in an historical presentation where placing the visitors acoustically in the social context of the exhibit theme
182
Exhibit
Sound
Design for Public
Presentation
Spaces
the impact of the would increase their sense of ‘being there’, thereby enhancing event. This technique might, for example, be used in a ‘period’ replica scene, such as a Western Frontier Town, or the Warsaw Ghetto. If acoustical techniques are to be employed to enhance a presentation, a thorough discussion of the objectives of the exhibit environment should take place between the architect, the exhibit designer and the acoustical designer. Though this discussion would naturally include considerations for sound anticipated noise levels from the visitor traffic and mechanically presentation, generated noise, it may also include considerations of the impact that the space should have on the visitors’ sense of placement. Questions might include whether the exhibit space should be so designed as to encourage comfortable conversation, or to keep the visitors quiet, or whether the space should be intended to keep the visitors moving through it, or be a ‘decompression’ area set aside to allow visitors to collect their thoughts. Regardless of how sophisticated are the acoustical design requirements, an acoustical engineer should be consulted at the beginning of an exhibit space design. This will ensure that the background noise generated by HVAC and other mechanical equipment does not compromise the sound environment in the An acoustical engineer can also ensure that the acoustical exhibit spaces. treatments are consistent with the final shapes and materials for surface finishes which the exhibit designer or building architects are intending to use and that the proposed acoustical treatments do not compromise or interfere with building life/safety equipment. In more sophisticated exhibit settings, an acoustical designer should be consulted to ensure that the impact of the exhibit is positively enhanced by its aural environment. Conclusion Exhibit design is predominantly approached on a visual level, but regardless of how visually compelling an exhibit may be, if it is not accompanied by a complementary audio presentation or sound environment the exhibit can easily fall ‘flat’. In developing audio enhancements to an exhibit, the objective is to convey clearly and accurately the objectives of that exhibit. Though narrative presentation is an effective method to deliver information to an exhibit visitor, music, ambient sound and acoustics can also play a strong role in developing the impact of an exhibit. Presentation subtlety can also assist in that suspension of belief which is necessary for the exhibit to reach the visitor on a subconscious level. With the ever increasing sophistication of the home entertainment systems available to the general public, it is becoming imperative that public exhibit presenters provide total experiences which would be otherwise unavailable to their audiences. This includes the expansion and integration of ‘Spectacle’ onto the full space available to the presentation, appealing to all of the senses and suspending the temporal and spatial belief of the visitors. Considering sound design at an early stage of exhibit planning can contribute substantially to achieving these goals. Bibliography Alexander, C., Ishikawa, University Press.
S. and Silverstein,
M. (1977).
A Pattern
Language,
Oxford:
Oxford
MICHAEL STOCKER
183
Nuckolls, J. L. (1983). ‘Interior Lighting’, The Human Condition, ch. 25. John Wiley and Sons. Rassmussen, S. E. (1962). Experiencing Architecture. Cambridge Mass: The M.I.T. Press. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Shafernich, Sandra M. (1993). ‘On-Site Museums, Open Air Musuems, Museum Villages and Living History Museums’, Museum Management and Curatorship, 12: 43-61.
Management
and Curatorship
(1994),
13, 177-183
Exhibit Sound Design for Public Presentation Spaces MICHAEL STOCKER
Introduction In the design of museum exhibits, much thought is given to what the presentation environment looks like, but it is not often considered what the environment should sound like. Sound is the ‘hidden dimension’ in exhibit design, capable of transporting the visitor into an exhibit’s imaginary environment. In considering sound, we are not just referring to the fidelity of speakers, or the information content of a presentation, rather we are including the integration of sound and noise within the context of an exhibit and its environment. There are three basic considerations in the design of exhibit sound: the content of the produced sound for an exhibit; the presentation hardware, including speakers and control systems; and the acoustical setting or sound environment. All three of these considerations can complement each other, and strengths in one area can fill in for weaknesses in other areas to a certain degree, though the acoustical setting is the only element of the three that can stand alone as a presentation tool. And while most of the sound design effort for an exhibit will go towards the production of audio material and system design, the environment in which the sound is presented is often overlooked. The importance of this observation will be explored later in this article. Designing
for Sound
In designing any type of exhibit, the first question that must be asked is ‘What are the objectives of the Exhibit?‘. Once the objectives of the exhibit are clearly defined, they must always be used as the benchmark by which all design elements are considered, bearing in mind that the measure of the lasting impact of an exhibit lies in how effectively the exhibit pulls the visitor into the presentation. Though sound may not be the key element in an exhibit presentation, for most exhibit visitors, sound (or noise) will always be present in an exhibition space and as such should be considered to some degree as a part of all designs. If sound is not a presentation element, it has to be asked whether the environment is too noisy to concentrate on written material, or whether it is too quiet to allow the visitor to be comfortable when using the exhibit and sharing their experiences with others in it.
0260-4779/94/020177-070 1994Butterworth-Heinemann
Ltd.
178
Exhibit
Sound Design for Public Presentation
Spaces
If sound is an exhibit element, consideration should be given to: whether the quality of the sound is easy to listen to; whether the sound presentation conflicts with other perceptual cues of the exhibit; whether the amount of spoken information is too cumbersome to convey easily the objectives of the exhibit; and whether the sound presentation captures the listener and does not just add to the overall noise level in the exhibit environment. These are just some of the issues that exhibit designers need to consider about sound even before the actual sound elements or acoustical environment are designed. Sound Production
Content
Sound production falls within three basic categories: narrative, music and ambience. These categories directly correspond to the voice, music and sound effects categories used in movie sound production. All three categories may contain information, all may work together and all can stand alone. In fact sound production can either be used as an enhancement to a visual or tactile exhibit, or act as a complete presentation in itself. Narrative production can be in the form of a scripted information piece read by a voice actor, or as ‘oral histories’ and stories recorded from the accounts and tales of people whose experience supports or is the subject of the exhibit. Care must be taken, especially in the production of scripted information pieces, so that the piece does not become too complex or try to deliver too much information. A narrative piece that is too heavily loaded will give the listener the feeling of being lectured to or spoken at. Often some of the risk of this can be ameliorated by using music or ambience to buffer the spoken script as well as to carry some of the information. Oral histories and stories can have the advantage of carrying subconscious information without the ‘list of facts’ feel that a scripted production may have, though oral histories do run the risk of being too wordy. Careful editing of oral histories may be required to present the point of the piece clearly while retaining the significance of the narrative. One advantage of recording oral histories for a presentation is that this material actually becomes a part of the exhibitor’s collection in terms of it being unique and valuable information. Catalogued properly, it can be archived and used for research and education in order to further the objectives of the original exhibit. Whichever form of narrative is used, keeping the presentation sounding natural and unforced will go a long way towards retaining the attention of the listeners. A ‘corny’ delivery, or a poor voice actor, can easily undermine the credibility of an exhibit regardless of how compelling is the story or script. Although all sound will have some emotional impact on a subconscious and conscious level, music can most directly affect the mood of the listener. Even when music is used in a strictly documentary manner, such as in historic musical examples, it will affect the listener’s emotional disposition. Music can be a direct element of an exhibit or presentation, as an accompaniment to visual and motion elements, or used as an ambience to set the mood of a piece. Ambient music can also be used to tie exhibit areas together thematically or to highlight specific areas or topics within an exhibit. The decision to use pre-recorded or pre-published music, as opposed to original music specially composed for the presentation, will be determined by a number of factors, including event synchronization, historic content, availability of appropriate material and cost. It should not be assumed
MICHAEL
STOCKER
179
that original music will necessarily be more costly than pre-published material. The cost will be dependent on many variables such as exclusivity, repackaging for sales and the variety of material needed. Use of the exhibit music to sell as a CD or cassette from a museum store, for example, could significantly shift the composer’s or publisher’s licence priorities. Regardless of what is the source of the music, it is important that the performance rights are secured. If the music is original and composed for the the composer may have a performance licence agreement or presentation, ownership clause in their contract. Music that has been previously published needs to be cleared for use, even if it is performed specifically for the presentation. This requires that an agreement be made with the publisher. If the publisher is not known, rights can be arranged through one of many musical performance rights societies in their respective countries. These include ASCAP (American Society of Composers and Producers) or BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) in the Americas, the Performance Rights Society in Great Britain, and SACEM (Societt des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique) in France, for example. Perhaps the strongest impact of all sound presentation techniques can be derived from the creation of ambient sound environments. An ambient environment can transport the imagination through time and space, allowing the listeners to visit tropical rain forests, 19th century railway stations, arctic tundra or aboriginal villages, all without moving. A static visual exhibit which would otherwise be viewed by a visitor just in passing will be stared at in detail if it is enhanced with a complementary ambient sound environment. Sound environments can be custom tailored to an exhibit, with sound cues keyed into other exhibit elements, or sound and environments can be resourced from existing productions and libraries. As is the case with music, pre-recorded and produced ambient environments and sound effects need to be licensed and cleared for use. A sound resource library will generally have a stock sound use agreement, as will the producer for custom sound ambients. On the other hand, if custom sound is recorded for the presentation, clear ownership rights should always be established with the recordist and producer. If the exhibitor retains ownership of recorded material, it can again become part of the exhibitor’s ‘collection’, available for research and re-use in other settings. The disposition of the ownership will, however, inevitably have some impact on the cost of the custom recorded sound.
Presentation Equipment and Techniques With the availability of new and exciting presentation technologies it is easy to be distracted from the content of an exhibit design and to allow the technologies to drive the presentation. It is perhaps during the equipment selection, more than at any other stage of the sound design, where the question of the content of the exhibit must always be addressed. This is due in part to the fact that the dazzling technical quality of much of the equipment available can all too easily become a distraction in the design process. It is also true that, unlike the sound designers, the equipment vendors have every interest in selling state-of-the-art equipment which is not directly tied to the effectiveness of the sound presentation. Sound presentation technologies currently employed in an exhibit can range in
180
Exhibit Sound Design for Public Presentation Spaces
complexity (and expense) from a simple speaker on a repeating sound loop to a complex interactive audio database that calls up specific localized sound sources on a cue selected by the visitor on a video touch screen. There are so many possibilities in presentation technologies that many trade publications are dedicated to their promotion and understanding. It suffices to say that it is beyond the scope of this article to enumerate the possibilities. However, when considering what equipment to use, durability must be thoroughly evaluated. This is true of all materials used in public spaces, but especially true of technical gear because of the higher cost of qualified maintenance personnel and of replacing failed components. In the assessment of equipment use, it is not extraordinary to take the anticipated public traffic for an exhibit and triple it, using this as a benchmark for establishing a technical maintenance budget. Remember, buttons will be pressed relentlessly, with keyboards smashed, headphone cables yanked and monitors hit, over and over again, and the abuse of these things will be directly proportional to how exciting and compelling is the presentation. Safety is another consideration that should never be overlooked. All sound technologies use electricity and power, and although the audio and control voltages in equipment exposed to the public are generally low, and pose no threat of electric shock, heat and sparks could be generated, with a risk of fire. Operators must make sure that all technical installation procedures adhere to local and national electrical, fire and building codes. Furthermore, it is equally important to confirm that the audio volume levels in a presentation do not exceed those levels that are potentially damaging to the visitor or the exhibition staff. The OSHA (U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has established guidelines for safe short-term and long-term sound and noise exposure. Other countries have equivalent governing agencies and standards. These guidelines should be used as an upper limit for sound and noise levels, as they are designed for work environments, not educational and leisure environments. Digital technology has been a boon for technical presentation systems. Through computer control, it has allowed the designer much more flexibility and allowed a greater reliability of equipment, gained in part through the use of fewer moving parts than were required by older analogue technologies. Digital technology standards have also come to a level of maturity where there is some room for growth and ‘updates’, as well as cross compatibility between manufacturers, to ameliorate the concern for immediate obsolescence once a system has been installed. Nevertheless, with all of the sound sources and control available, there is still a common factor to all sound system systems designs-speakers. Speakers are also potentially the weakest link because it is almost axiomatic that the larger the speaker, the better the fidelity and the more believable the sound, and the success of an audio presentation, though dependent can be made or broken by the believability of the sound. on content, Unfortunately, not many exhibits can accommodate the visual appearance of and so many tricks must be employed, either to large speaker enclosures, decrease the size of the enclosure or to conceal the enclosures in other exhibit elements. With the exception of headphones and monophonic ‘talking boxes’, it is also important to try to maintain a ‘sound field’ in an exhibit space. This demand is
MICHAEL
STOCKER
181
often in conflict with the need to conceal speakers in an exhibit, or ensure that the sound field does not spill over into adjacent exhibit spaces and distract visitors in them. There are often many opportunities for compromise when placing speakers within an exhibit space. A talking box in an exhibit hall is just that, an information kiosk or video monitor with a sound source delivering narrative. Regardless of how compelling is the information, a visitor will be easily distracted from this type of presentation unless the talking box is isolated from other interesting sensations in the museum. It is a complete stand alone exhibit and should be placed in a corner or near benches so that it can serve as a rest stop as well as a presentation.
The Acoustical
Setting
Undoubtedly the most neglected aspects of exhibit design are the acoustical considerations. It is a well known, but an often overlooked, fact that the ambient acoustical environment influences the behaviour of the people within it. People tend to make more noise in reverberative environments, honking horns in tunnels or whistling in large gymnasiums for example, and conversely, people tend to speak quietly in acoustically dampened environments, such as thickly carpeted offices, coat closets or libraries. Though traditional concerns of high speech intelligibility, low ambient noise levels and good space isolation are common acoustical design objectives in exhibition spaces, the affects of ‘psycho-acoustics’ can still play a strong role in the suspension of belief and the overall impact of an exhibit experience. Psycho-acoustics in space design refers to the psychological effect that the acoustics of a space have on the visitor. Although people obtain strong direct visual cues from their immediate environment, providing them with an empirical view of the space they are occupying, acoustics, like smell and peripheral vision, will set the subconscious cues to give the visitors a sense of where they are. These cues, when carefully designed, can help to encourage the visitors to move, to rest, to feel vulnerable and exposed, or to feel safe and contained. In public space design, psycho-acoustics can be used to encourage traffic flow or create waiting areas, but more importantly, by creating acoustical spaces which may contradict, or are appropriately juxtaposed to the visitors’ visual experience, new windows of perception are opened, allowing the experience to permeate into the subconscious. Due to the strength of this effect, acoustical design can play an important role in exhibit sound productions. It can also play an important role in consolidating the impact of an exhibition facility on the visitor even without the use of sound elements in the design. An example of a totally integrated aural environment might be the acoustical dampening of the presentation space to induce the visitors to be quiet and become submerged in an aural Space Sculpture. This strategy might, in skilled hands, be very effective in the museum presentation of pristine natural environments such as a ‘Desert Savannah’, a ‘Tropical Rain Forest’, or a ‘Deep Water Aquarium’, while in another environment, it might be appropriate to integrate the sounds of the visitor by masking and blending them in the acoustical treatments so as to cloud the distinction between the visitors and the exhibit. This strategy could be used, for example, in an historical presentation where placing the visitors acoustically in the social context of the exhibit theme
182
Exhibit
Sound
Design for Public
Presentation
Spaces
the impact of the would increase their sense of ‘being there’, thereby enhancing event. This technique might, for example, be used in a ‘period’ replica scene, such as a Western Frontier Town, or the Warsaw Ghetto. If acoustical techniques are to be employed to enhance a presentation, a thorough discussion of the objectives of the exhibit environment should take place between the architect, the exhibit designer and the acoustical designer. Though this discussion would naturally include considerations for sound anticipated noise levels from the visitor traffic and mechanically presentation, generated noise, it may also include considerations of the impact that the space should have on the visitors’ sense of placement. Questions might include whether the exhibit space should be so designed as to encourage comfortable conversation, or to keep the visitors quiet, or whether the space should be intended to keep the visitors moving through it, or be a ‘decompression’ area set aside to allow visitors to collect their thoughts. Regardless of how sophisticated are the acoustical design requirements, an acoustical engineer should be consulted at the beginning of an exhibit space design. This will ensure that the background noise generated by HVAC and other mechanical equipment does not compromise the sound environment in the An acoustical engineer can also ensure that the acoustical exhibit spaces. treatments are consistent with the final shapes and materials for surface finishes which the exhibit designer or building architects are intending to use and that the proposed acoustical treatments do not compromise or interfere with building life/safety equipment. In more sophisticated exhibit settings, an acoustical designer should be consulted to ensure that the impact of the exhibit is positively enhanced by its aural environment. Conclusion Exhibit design is predominantly approached on a visual level, but regardless of how visually compelling an exhibit may be, if it is not accompanied by a complementary audio presentation or sound environment the exhibit can easily fall ‘flat’. In developing audio enhancements to an exhibit, the objective is to convey clearly and accurately the objectives of that exhibit. Though narrative presentation is an effective method to deliver information to an exhibit visitor, music, ambient sound and acoustics can also play a strong role in developing the impact of an exhibit. Presentation subtlety can also assist in that suspension of belief which is necessary for the exhibit to reach the visitor on a subconscious level. With the ever increasing sophistication of the home entertainment systems available to the general public, it is becoming imperative that public exhibit presenters provide total experiences which would be otherwise unavailable to their audiences. This includes the expansion and integration of ‘Spectacle’ onto the full space available to the presentation, appealing to all of the senses and suspending the temporal and spatial belief of the visitors. Considering sound design at an early stage of exhibit planning can contribute substantially to achieving these goals. Bibliography Alexander, C., Ishikawa, University Press.
S. and Silverstein,
M. (1977).
A Pattern
Language,
Oxford:
Oxford
MICHAEL STOCKER
183
Nuckolls, J. L. (1983). ‘Interior Lighting’, The Human Condition, ch. 25. John Wiley and Sons. Rassmussen, S. E. (1962). Experiencing Architecture. Cambridge Mass: The M.I.T. Press. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Shafernich, Sandra M. (1993). ‘On-Site Museums, Open Air Musuems, Museum Villages and Living History Museums’, Museum Management and Curatorship, 12: 43-61.