5 Case Study 1 - Leicester Research Archive - University of Leicester

2 CHAPTER 2
Authenticity and Originality in the Media Age
2.1 Introduction
Chapter 1 concluded that connectivity potentially supports enhanced
accessibility, but it is not enough just by itself. It argued that true accessibility to
art is not about putting millions of digital files on the Web; rather it is about
focusing on the quality of the online experience. The key objective of this
chapter is to expand upon these ideas through looking at two concepts that are at
the very heart of the museum experience: authenticity and originality.
Arguing that accessibility of art is linked to quality rather than to quantity
requires elucidation of what is meant with quality. Are we talking about quality,
in terms of the significance of a work of art, or the quality of its online
presentation, regardless of the work’s meaning and importance? We are talking
about the latter. But, as will be argued in the following, we must not forget about
the former either. Moreover, Chapter 1 argued that museum websites often tend
to lack substantial contextualization, that new broadcasting models of publication
should trigger new type of content, rather than merely serve as distribution
channels and that the museum should play an active role in moderating content.
Drawing upon a literature review as well as on examples from museums online,
this chapter takes these conclusions further with additional theory and examples.
It thus aims to explore the question of what it takes to provide meaningful,
evocative and engaging experiences of art through the medium of the Web.
Hence, this chapter first investigates what an authentic experience of art means in
the Media Age. Taking a historical perspective, this section illustrates that what it
56