NODEM 2014 Proceedings

Transmedia & Charms: The Opportunities of
Transmedia Storytelling in the Contemporary
Museum
Kelvin de Veth
Tempero, United Kingdom
Abstract: This paper assesses the opportunities and challenges in museum practice in the era of digital media and technological
innovation. A digital generation is growing up and the border between the virtual and physical is fading. Using the concept of
“transmedia storytelling” (Henry Jenkins), the paper will look into the use of transmedia practices and narration in the contemporary
museum environment, fusing the use of traditional and digital media. The Wellcome Collection is examined in more detail,
looking at how a transmedia approach generated results in the 2011 exhibition Miracles & Charms. The different media used in
the exhibition and interviews with project staff are analysed to evaluate the impact of the approach.
By using multiple media beyond the physical exhibition to deliver the narrative (including a mobile app, crowd-inspired illustration,
postcard, film), the visitor has several ways to access it. These can be appreciated independently, and they can trigger an
interest to learn more via the other media. It was found that the transmedia approach to the exhibition attracted new visitors,
gave it a life beyond the physical exhibition dates, and inspired a new way of approaching exhibits going forward. At the moment,
transmedia storytelling is still very much linked to the entertainment industry, but there are vast opportunities for the arts
and heritage sector to benefit from it. Implementing the transmedia approach in exhibition design can lead to a broader network
of visitors and a lasting legacy well beyond the physical exhibition dates.
Keywords: transmedia, storytelling, new media, narration
This paper assesses the opportunities and challenges in museum practice in the era of digital media and technological
innovation. A digital generation is growing up and the border between the virtual and physical is fading.
Using the concept of “transmedia storytelling” (Henry Jenkins), the paper will look into the use of transmedia
practices and narration in the contemporary museum environment, fusing the use of traditional and digital
media. The Wellcome Collection is examined in more detail, looking at how a transmedia approach generated
results in the 2011 exhibition Miracles & Charms. The different media used in the exhibition and interviews with
project staff are analysed to evaluate the impact of the approach.
The beginning of the 21 st century saw digital media become prevalent throughout society. A digital generation
is growing up, which “seems to be no longer content to remain passive receivers of messages but instead
demands to be part of their creation.” (Urbanski, 2010: 3). The need to satisfy this generation’s demands is
currently influencing museum practice. Susan Broadhurst (2007) elaborates on how these ‘digital practices’
become a source of tension between the virtual and physical worlds. The prevalence of technology in our
physical environment requires that we add meaning to these digital developments and adopt a new way of
thinking (ibid.: 187-194). This is where transmedia storytelling comes in.
NODEM 2014 Conference & Expo
176