Physical keys to digital memories: reflecting on the role of tangible artefacts in "Reminisce"

This paper will discuss the role that tangible artefacts in the context of an interactive installation have as mediators between the physical experience of an open-air museum and the layer of digital information that is available to visitors about the site. We refer to the case study of an installation – Reminisce – designed for an Irish open-air museum, Bunratty Folk Park, where participants could follow trails around the site on the footsteps of characters from Ireland's past. At different historic houses, visitors could collect ‘tokens’ related to the characters both in digital and physical form: audio recordings of personal memories downloaded to a smart phone application, and physical objects representing aspects of the characters' lives. We discuss the role that the tangible artefacts had in bridging the digital and physical spaces of the installation, as well as extracting recommendations for designing installations in living history sites. Read more: Physical Keys to Digital Memories: Reflecting on the Role of Tangible Artefacts in "Reminisce" | museumsandtheweb.co