A new media approach: visualisation of a digital exhibition. Research on representation and design of cultural interfaces

This paper comments on the research project ‘A New Media Approach: Visualisation of a Digital Exhibition,’ whose final aim is to design a digital interface for a collection of works within the cultural heritage domain of the Xalapa Museum of Anthropology (MAX) in eastern Mexico. This museum hosts a fine collection of about 29,000 Pre-Hispanic pieces of the Olmeca, Central Veracruz and Huaxteca cultures, organises special and theme-based exhibitions, promotes research and publication and acts as a local culture centre. This paper discusses the conceptual framework for the digital interface that will display the most important pieces from the collection at the MAX and reflects on the importance of the strands that feed into the design: interface design, interaction design, information design, information architecture and navigation. The project will explore alternative design solutions of digital interfaces through a triple-interpretation concept, which are: research tool, device of information and learning, and educational resource. Integration of social media tools in the digital interface will also be explored. The project additionally aims to contribute to the analysis of the interaction that takes place when people interact with digital representations and cultural heritage data.