Multi-sensory Museology:the Cognition And Communication Of Embodiment And Museum Phenomenon

Traditional museums focus on collecting,studying and displaying objects,but with the advent of the experience economy era and the shift of the museum from "objects" to "people",it is necessary to make corresponding adjustments in the position of objects-orientated.In particular,the introduction of virtual technologies is partly changing the traditional definition of museums.Nowadays,more and more museums begin to pay attention to the sensory experience of objects and bring more non-visual senses into the museum,thus forming multi-sensory museums.The audiences in a multisensory museum are not only subjects of knowledge,but also subjects of experience.To experience an object in a museum,the essence is to integrate the world in which the object is located into the world in which the body of the audience is located through experiencing,making it a part of his everyday life.Therefore,museums display not only objects,but also the information behind the objects,namely the museum phenomenon.The shift from"objects" to "phenomena" has allowing museums to collect and display "dead" civilizations and cultures,and at the same time to strengthen the connection between people and the whole world.Phenomenology reveals that museums should put experience above knowledge,the body and the senses above the objects,and realize the embodiment of themselves.Then,the changes of museums' exhibition concept from "objects" to "phenomena" and the gradual emergence of"sensory presence" and "body relaxation" in museums can explain the doubts of "why there appear so many multi-sensory museums".At the same time,the phenomenon world of museums is a portrayal of daily life.Everyday life is full of multi-sensory experiences,and people understand and experience the world through the senses and the body,under which thinking the use of multi-sensory in museums has gained more development opportunities.Museums have opened up a new milestone in multi-sensory communication.A wider range of multi-sensory communication(visual,tactile,auditory,olfactory)allows museums to think more about the combination and complex interactions between "body" and experience and perceived experiences such as vision,hearing,smell,taste and proprioception,and pay attention to their potential impact on audiences in terms of cognition,memory,and emotion.Therefore,the obtaining of recognition of the habits connected to personal values through daily experience and the thematic,sensible and ordered nature of multi-sensory communication in museums clarify to us "Why do we need a multi-sensory museum?"In the question of "How to implement a multi-sensory museum?",this paper proposes a theoretical and practical construction method through a multiple case analysis method,field investigations and literature research.In theory,we need to face up to the embodiment of museums,where the body is the key variable for all cognitive and experiential activities.Multi-sensory can only have unlimited possibilities in the body-centered museum concept,and under this concept,multi-sensory is more likely to physically awaken the creativity of a forgotten expression and diversified attitudes and concepts.In practice,the multi-sensory practice in museum objects and phenomena,exhibition structure and space can be summarized as:starting from a meaningful theme,using specific sensory "props" to create a space full of context feelings,while at the same time creating a personalized structural sequence for the clues closely connected to the senses and thus creating a vivid and effective physical and sensory experience.So,how does this multi-sensory practice work?In view of this question,this paper adopts the audience researches to interpret the evaluation of multisensory itself and of the power and influence of the senses on audiences from the two aspects of sensory evaluation tools and audience-oriented research.The multi-sensory design of museum exhibitions is not merely a superficial design for enjoyment,it works more as a catalyst and an intermediary.Moreover,the measurement of multisensory perception also tells us its basic but important role as a catalyst for emotional arousal and engagement,memory recall,and personal connection and reflection.To sum up,the concept of multisensory museum is not presented just to talk about senses themselves,nor does it emphasize the insignificance of vision,or the particularity of other senses.Instead,it attempts to break the limitations of vision in order to help museum visitors understand more about art,history and culture.What it emphasizes is that visitors,through the use of their multi-senses including touch,hearing,smell,taste,vision and body senses,can re-understand museum objects,phenomena and culture in a better way,so as to understand the relationship between people and the world with new body concepts.