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Interview about audio tours at DIA

Interview about audio tours at DIA

Jul 28, 2009

Notes from phone conversation with Swarupa, Alison & James.

Some cell phone tour companies the DIA is considering using: Guide by
cell, On Cell systems

DIA will be using cell-based tours for its upcoming Richard Avedon
exhibition & possibly Through African Eyes
With Acoustiguide wands, there's lots of staff time involved in
distribution of equipment, sanitizing, etc.

  • Development is costly; of tours themselves; scripts, creative part,
    etc.

  • TYPICALLY FOR EXHIBITIONS, COSTS RUN $40K FOR content development,
    equipment rental, etc.

  • DON'T SEE VERY MANY PEOPLE USING AUDIOTOUR FOR PERMANENT COLLECTION
    POST-REINSTALLATION. NOT SURE IF DECLINE IS B/C OF ABUNDANCE OF OTHER
    INTERPRETIVE OPPORTUNITIES, IF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT, OR B/C WE NOW
    CHARGE A COUPLE OF $$ FOR USE.

  • People using audio tours in special exhibitions (audio tour built
    into the ticket price)

  • LARGE-PRINT paper copies of text available as alternative

  • stops 2-3 minutes

With cell system:

  • Visitors can leave audio comments

  • Text voting can occur

  • development/production process is simplified. E.g. Director can just
    record comments/content into a phone - you don't have to use a
    recording studio

  • piloting a cell phone tour with 6-8 stops; an adult tour FOR AVEDON
    EXHIBITION. This is in
    contrast to acoustiguide tours of gallery, which typically have 15-20
    stops & 40 minutes per tour roughly, as well as youth tours

  • stops = aiming for 1-2 minute ON CELL PHONE B/C MANY PAY PER MINUTE

  • Benefit - People can use their own equipment.

  • drawback - DIA has historically discouraged cell phone use in
    galleries. Also, how many have their own cell phones?

  • able to track usage, how much of the content they listened to, where
    people stop, how long until hang-up - visitor research component

  • Cell phone COMPANY doesn't provide any web interface (for listening
    to audio content, recording audio content post-visit, etc.). DIA CAN
    LIST PHONE NUMBERS ON DIA WEBPAGE. DIA would
    have to build this. BUT DIA owns the content w/ a cell system.

  • Getty Museum provides print brochures with a small thumbnail and the
    cell phone number of the object so that they can interact with it
    after the visit, comment from home

  • With cell phone system, options for people participating are a lot
    broader (e.g. scholars from afar)
    How do you choose what audio responses can be accessed by other cell
    phone users?

  • Try to provide a structure for soliciting responses to galleries/
    objects. Questions for responses need to be carefully positioned to
    inspire a response (not typically a yes/no question); questions are
    made for works of art that are particularly interesting/emotional,
    likely to instigate a reaction