1. Visitor survey of Anthropocene exhibition

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2 i. PRELIMINARY INFORMATION 1. Visitor survey of Anthropocene exhibition Various objectives were pursued during the visitor survey of the Anthropocene exhibition in Deutsches Museum, Munich. As the primary objective, we wanted to investigate how much the visitors of the exhibition used the presented media, how they estimated them, what they liked, missed and did not like about the exhibition. A special attention during the survey was devoted to the artistic installations in general and the flower garden at the entrance area in particular as one of the highlights of the whole exhibition. The visitors were asked if they engaged into activities presented in the flower garden, namely, if they expressed their opinion about the topic of Anthropocene and planted it in the garden and listened to the opinions of the experts. Additionally to engagement in the flower garden, the visitors were asked about the graphic novels specially designed for the exhibition by the students of the Berlin University of the Arts. Additionally to the above mentioned points we analyzed the visitors background and motivational aspects of visiting the Anthropocene exhibition. 2. Description of the exhibition The Anthropocene exhibition is a special exhibition of Rachel Carson Center and the center of new technologies in the Deutsches Museum, that is open for a visit from 5th of December, 2014 till 31st of January, The exhibition is located in the special exhibition area on the first floor and offers its visitors an opportunity to get a comprehensive insight into the topic of Anthropocene. At the entrance area the visitors encounter the flower landscape and the media cube. Here the possibility to get to know the intention of the exhibition is offered. The visitors find out that no ready answers to the topic will be presented to them at the exhibition, while it mainly serves as inspiration and a basis for discussions. The next part which separates the entrance area from the rest of the exhibition is the 20 meter long and 3,5 meter high objects shelf. Here the milestones of the way to Anthropocene are displayed: objects of the era of technologies, that made the humanity s enormous influence on the world possible. For instance, here one can observe the steam machine as a key technology of the 19 th century and the tractors as a symbol of mechanization in agriculture. Through the entrance in the cardboard wall the visitors follow to the six islands of the exhibition: Evolution, Food, Nature, Humans&Machines, Mobility, Ubranisation&Resources. Here a unique overview of consequences of human behavior on the world, intertwined with the arts, is proposed to the visitors. The woolen coral reef located at the 1

3 Evolution island is a part of international arts project The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef from the Australian twin sisters Christine and Margaret Wertheim. The arts objects is created to draw public s attention to the growing environmental problems and climate warming. Additionally the coral reef in the special exhibition of the Deutsches Museum demonstrates the creative potential of a global society. The next island Food invites the visitors to the common table where the consequences of heavy farming due to the overcrowding of the planet and few possible solutions to this problem are discussed. Many colorful pictures dominate in the center of the Nature as the visitor goes on around the exhibition. These pictures represent the exhausted, polluted regions and urban sprawls. Here the question What is a nature is posed. The Nature is just one step away from the Humans and Machines where the photos of atomic bomb tests and robots are depicted. The Mobility islands sheds a different light on the problem of mobility and describes it from the perspectives of mobility of goods, animals, insects and plants. This journey of plants and animals is represented at the central installation that looks like a sushi moving table. The last island Urbanization and Recourses deals with the topic of cosmopolitan cities and the problems they create due to their enormous sizes and complexity. Another unique object located between the islands of Nature and Humans and Machines is the Clock contributed to the Deutsches Museum by the Long Now Foundation. The uniqueness of the Clock is that they strike once on one thousand years during the coming ten thousand years without people s involvement. This project calls attention to the humans sustainable approach to treating the planet. At the end of the tour the visitors are invited to the flower garden where they can do handicrafts and create their own colorful flowers to be planted in exchange to the white flowers. Here the visitors are encouraged to express their opinions to the topics and problems investigated by them during a tour around the Anthropocene exhibition. The museum s staff harvests the ideas on a regular basis and collects them into a book that is also available at the entrance area of the exhibition. When it comes to the media presented to the visitors to grasp the concepts and ideas, the exhibition offers a great variety of them from texts, pictures and objects to the videos of the media cube and scribble films, audio stations, a significant amount of artistic installations and interactive opportunities such as handicraft in the flower garden. 3. Development of the questionnaire Deriving from the objectives of the survey we developed a questionnaire with 20 questions referring to the exhibition, 2 additional questions to estimate the visitors activities in the flower garden, and 4 socio-demographical questions (See Appendix 1). The main aspects of the 2

4 questionnaire are shortly described below in the current chapter and in more detail in the following chapters presenting the results of the visitor survey. First of all, the question about the visit duration is stated, followed by five questions about museum visits in general, namely frequency of museum visitors per year, frequency of personal visits in the Deutsches Museum, social character of a visit, and motivational background. In question 7 the visitors were asked about the way they found out about the Anthropocene exhibition. Questions invited the interviewees to estimate their personal experiences in terms of intensity of contact, liking and informative content of the presented media of the exhibition. Afterwards the two main questions and two subquestions investigated the level of visitors interaction with the opportunities of the flower garden, namely writing a personal opinion to the topic of Anthropocene and listening to the experts opinion. Additionally, the visitors interaction with different parts of the exhibition was estimated in question 15 presented in form of the overview plan of the exhibition and the Likert scale from 1 to 4. The further part of the questionnaire was represented by a general rating scale of the exhibition and a question if the visitors would recommend the exhibition. The three open questions referred to the aspects of the exhibition the visitors liked, did not like and missed. The two questions were to estimate the long-term influence of a visit on the further interaction with the topic of Anthropocene. Due to the high percentage of foreign visitors to Deutsches Museum (21,4% in 2010) and high refusal rates to participate in a survey on the ground of language limitation (15,5% in the Climate exhibition, 30,4% in Life with spare parts ), the decision to hold the interviews in the German and English languages was taken. The English version is fully identical to the German version, with the only exception of Question 25. Due to the fact that international gradation of education does not fully match to the German system, the English questionnaire merged three levels of school education according to German standard to one, named secondary school. Both English and German version of the questionnaire is presented in Appendix 1. Prior to the main survey the initial German version of the questionnaire underwent the pretest on the 12th and 14th of May, In total 8 german-speaking visitors (M age = 36.25) were questioned by one interviewer. Based on the results of the pre-test the following updates were undertaken: - Additional answer format this year added to question 3a. - Additional answer format I had no time added to question 13b. - Question if you tell anyone about this exhibition, how you would describe it in 1-2 sentences was eliminated due to ambiguity. - Question how do you find the exhibition in general was eliminated since it is partly covered in questions

5 - Questions 11 and 12 were upgraded to How did you like in general the media with which you dealt at the exhibition? and We are also interested how informative you find the media with which you dealt at the exhibition? respectively to avoid visitors estimation of the media they have not personally experienced during the visit. - The other two questions ( which of the following media did you especially like and why and is there anything with what you intensively engaged ) were deleted because they are covered by questions 11, 15 and open ended questions Some questions were restructured to represent the following architecture: Frequency and motives of a visit Evaluation of media and flower garden Evaluation of different parts of the exhibition General evaluation of the exhibition Socio-demographical questions The results of the pre-test were additionally adapted to the English version of the questionnaire. Final English and German versions of the questionnaire are presented in Appendix General information to data collection The data collection was conducted during 10 days, from 23rd of May until 1st of June, 2015 from till by two interviewers. The interviewers questioned in total 253 visitors at the exit of the Anthropocene exhibition. More than half of the questionnaires (N=141) were collected during the bank holidays, including the weekend days. The interviews lasted in general around 10 minutes. Not all the approached visitors were ready to participate in the survey on the ground of various reasons. Out of 568 persons, 45% answered affirmatively to the invitation to an interview. Comparatively, 49% of respondents approached in the Climate exhibition, 39,4% in the Life with spare parts exhibition and 60,2% of General visitor survey of the year 2010 were ready to take part in the survey. 4

6 ii. EVALUATION OF THE EXHIBITION 1. Visitors profile 1.1.Socio-demographical data In frames of the survey, the visitors aged from 11 to 85 years old were interviewed. The average age equals to 38 years old, which is higher than that of other special exhibitions. The most significant part of visitors is represented in the age frame from 20 to 29 years old. The same pattern of dominating age group is found in other special exhibitions. The group of visitors in the age frame from 40 to 49 yeas old is on the second place making 18.7% out of all the visitors of the exhibition (Table 1). Table 1. Age of the visitors Age group Frequency Percent (n=253) Cum. percent Missing Out of 253 interviewees 48,6% were male, and 51,4% were female. This statistics does not conform to the data from other exhibition of the Deutsches Museum, where the male group dominates over a female group (Klein, 2000; Lewalter, 2001). The age and gender comparisons with other special exhibitions of the museum are represented in Table 2. 5

7 Table 2. Age and gender of the visitors of special exhibitions Exhibition Year Number of respondents Average age Percent of age group Percent of male visitors Percent of female visitors Anthropocene The yellow of an egg Life with spare parts Climate In the majority of age groups the male respondents ae underrepresented, only in the age group from 30 to 39 years old it gets equal, and males over represent female in the age group of 60 and older (Graphic 1). Graphic 1 Distribution of gender per age group 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Male Female The overwhelming part of the visitors finished or were striving for a university degree. The same pattern finds place in other visitors surveys, where the majority of interviews obtained or were striving for a university degree. This group in the Anthropocene exhibition is followed by those who graduated from school and the group of those who is still a student. The most underrepresented group is the one who finished the modern secondary school (Hauptschule), with a small advantage followed by two other groups: current school pupils and those who had a PhD degree (Table 3). 6

8 Table 3. Educational level of the visitors Educational level Frequency Percent (n=253) Hauptschule 10 4 Realschule/Mittlere Reife Abitur/(Fach)Hochschulereife Abgeschlossenes Studium Abgeschlossene Promotion I am at school I am a student Other Missing The area of work most of visitors are engaged is of technical or engineering character. The similar result occurred in another survey conducted at Climate special exhibition. Another big group of interviewees in the Anthropocene exhibition crossed out the section other when it comes to the area of their work. The third group belongs to people working in a social sector (Table 4). Table 4. Area of work Frequency Percent (n=253) Social/humanities Natural sciences Technical/engineering Other Missing The average time spent at the exhibition is min (SD=34.43). More than half of all respondents spent less than 37 minutes at the exhibition (53.3%, n=135). The frequency of museum visits was estimated as less than 5 times a year by the overwhelming majority of interviewees (66.4%, n=168). The rest 33.6% (n=85) answered than they went to museums more than 5 times a year. 7

9 Out of all the participants, 44.4% came to the Deutsches Museum for the first time that day. Distribution of the rest 55.4% is almost equal between two groups: 27.3% (n=69) have been to the Deutsches Museum up to 3 times before, and 28.2% (n=71) are frequent visitors and have been to the museum more than 3 times already. The similar proportion of new and frequent visitors is traced in other special exhibitions, even though the fraction of first-time visitors is lower. This is partly due to the fact that 17.4% of all interviewees were non-german-speaking foreigners, which has not been the case in other studies conducted solely in the German language. Among the non-germans the percentage of first-visitors is 88.4%, compared to 35.1% in the German-speaking group. For the majority of visitors that have been to the museum already the last visit to the museum was more than three years ago, following the patter of other special exhibitions in the Deutsches Museum. 23.6% of the visitors paid a visit during the last three years. The most recent visits namely last or this year were done by 15% and 18.1% of respondents respectively. Table 5. Frequency of visits to Deutsches Museum Frequency Percent (n=253) For the first time Have been from 1 to 3 times Have been more than 3 times Table 6. Timing of last visit to the Deutsches Museum Frequency Percent (n=253) Valid percent (n=127) This year Last year In the last three years Earlier Missing

10 1.2. Specification of a visit The analysis of the structure of a visit is described below in this chapter (Table 7). The overwhelming majority of interviewees came accompanied, and only 14.2% of them came alone to the exhibition. The most frequent companion was a spouse or a boyfriend/girlfriend, which was the case at other special exhibitions in the Deutsches Museum as well. 25.3% of the visitors came in this company to the exhibition. The percentage of those who arrived with their kids as a parent or with another family member, besides a spouse, was high and made 20.9% and 25.3% respectively. This pattern is not common for other special exhibitions, especially the group of parents with their kids was represented significantly higher in the Anthropocene exhibition compared to the analogous groups in other exhibitions (Graphic 2). Table 7. Type of a visit Frequency Percent (n=253) Alone With a husband/wife Parent with a kid With a family member With a friend Organized group of visitors Guided tour With a colleague 0 0 Missing

11 Graphic 2 Type of a visit per exhibition 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Alone Spouse Parent with a kid Family member Friend Group of visitors Anthropocene Life with spare parts Climate 1.3. Background of the exhibition visit In order to define the frequency of ways used by the visitors to get to know about the exhibition, the relevant question was posed to them. The overwhelming majority of visitors found out about the exhibition within the museum, either through the navigation posters and signs in the museums, or during their tour in the museum (Table 8). The third place belongs to the posters in the city that brought around 15% of all visitors to the museum. However, in the age group 50 and older posters were the most frequent source of information. Interestingly, the posters were the first or second primary source of information for other special exhibitions (Graphic 3). The frequency of those who read about the exhibition in the internet is very close to the category of posters and makes 14.2% of ways people found out about the exhibition. However, in the age groups 20-29, and internet was number two in informing the future visitors about the exhibition, led by sources of information located within the museum, such as navigation or a tour around the museum. Considerably smaller fractions of visitors found out about the exhibition through internet (Graphic 3). The fraction of those who were advised by a friend to visit the exhibition equals to 8.9% of all the visitors. The fraction of the same group in three other special exhibition was comparatively close (Graphic 3). 10

12 Table 8. Wayfinding Frequency* Percent* (n=253) A tour in the museum Navigation in the museum Posters Internet Through a friend Booklet 12 4 Leaflet 12 4 Newspapers A guide Through a school Radio, TV * Multiple response format Graphic 3. Wayfinding 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Tour in museum Navigation in museum Posters Internet Friend Anthropocene Life with spare parts Climate Yellow of an egg The comparative analysis of three groups of visitors according to their frequency of visits to the Deutsches Museum showed, that the generally dominant sources of information, namely navigation in the museum and a tour around the museum, stayed the most popular among the first visitors and those that have been to the museum from 1 to 3 times. However, the frequent visitors to the museum that have been to the museum more than 3 times the main source of 11

13 information about the exhibition were the posters in the city (28.2%), followed by publicity in Internet (23.9%). The visitors were asked if they came to the exhibition intentionally or accidentally. The statistical analysis shows that 56.9% belong to the accidental visitors, and the rest 43.1% to the intentional visitors. The same pattern when the majority of visitors come accidentally is present in two other special exhibitions, namely 60% of accidental visitors at the Climate and 58% of accidental visitors at the Life with spare parts exhibitions. Out of those who visited the exhibition accidentally 62.9% did not see the graphic novels to the topic Anthropocene scattered around the museum and 92.4% (n=134) wanted just to look around, opposed to 7.6% (n=11) of those who wanted to learn about something particular at the exhibition. The overwhelming majority of those who wanted to get informed about particular issues found this information. The intentional visitors were additionally asked if they came to the Deutsches Museum for this particular exhibition. This question was answered negatively by 62.7%, and the rest 37.3% said they came to the museum for the purpose to visiting the Anthropocene exhibition. The distribution of accidental and intentional visitors among three groups depending on the frequency of their visits to the Deutsches Museum shows the similar pattern, when the accidental visits are more frequent. However, if in the first visitors group and group of those who have been to the museum from 1 to 3 times the decision to visit the exhibition was accidental for 60% of visitors, in the group if those who have been to the museum more than 3 times the distribution was almost equal (50.7% accidental visits; 49.3% intentional visits). This index shows that the most frequent visitors plan better their museum trips. For the majority of the interviewees the topic of the exhibition was connected to their interests. The group is followed by those for whom the topic was a matter of their current occupation (20.6%). Around 15% of visitors that the topic is not connected to neither hobbies, occupation or interests. The fraction of visitors for whom Anthropocene lies in the sphere of their hobbies made 6.4% of all the interviewees (Table 9). Interestingly, despite the connection to the topic of the exhibition, the overwhelming majority in all four groups said that they had not known the term Anthropocene before their visit to the exhibition. 12

14 Table 9. Connection to the topic of the exhibition Frequency* Percent* (n=253) Interest Occupation None Hobby * Multiple response format 2. General evaluation of the exhibition 2.1. General rating of the exhibition The interviewees were asked to give a spontaneous grade to the exhibition using a rating scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory). Table 10. General rating of the exhibition Grade Frequency Percent (n=253) Cum. percent The general evaluation of the exhibition is positive. 85.4% of all the interviewees rated the exhibition as very good or good. The more frequent grade given by 59.3% of the participants is grade % evaluated the exhibition as very good. The exhibition was rated as sufficient by 2.8% and as insufficient or defective by 4.7% of the visitors. Only one person gave the grade 6 to the exhibition. The mean grade of the exhibition is 2.02 (SD=0.97). The rating of the exhibition did not show any deviations from the common pattern between different age or gender groups. Additionally, the comparative analysis of other groups also did not prove that there is a difference in rating depending on the frequency of visits to the Deutsches Museum or museums in general, depending on whether the interviewees wanted just 13

15 to look around or get informed about something particular or depending on whether the exhibition was connected to their hobbies, interests, or job. Comparison with the other special exhibitions showed that the Anthropocene exhibition was rated as good by a smaller amount of interviewees. However, the exhibition was rated as very good by the greatest fraction of visitors in comparison to three other exhibitions. The same distribution holds true for the grade 5 (insufficient). As for the grade 6 it was given only to the exhibition Anthropocene. None of the visitors of other exhibitions graded the exhibitions as unsatisfactory (Graphic 4). Graphic 4. General rating of the special exhibitions 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Anthropocene Life with spare parts Climate Yellow of an egg 2.2. What did you especially like about the exhibition? For the purpose of more sophisticated and differentiated survey, we asked the exhibition visitors to give an open-ended answer to the question what they especially liked about the exhibition. This question allowed us to get a closer look to the aspects of the exhibition that left a positive impression on the visitors. In total 64.4% (n=163) interviewees left their comments. Below the table with the categories that the visitors especially liked is presented (Table 11). The specification of categories follows in Table 12. As follows from Table 11, the most favorite category is thematic areas, represented by nine different islands of the exhibition. More than 40% of the interviewees that left their comments recollected a specific area as the most liked one. More than 20% especially liked a certain element of the exhibition. Almost the similar fraction of visitors allocated specific media or general arrangement of the exhibition to the category of the most liked part of the exhibition. Only few respondents said that the especially liked a specific topic, medial representation or a guided tour. 14

16 Table 11. Especially liked about the exhibition by category Especially liked about Frequency* Percent* the exhibition (n=163) Specific media Thematic area Specific topic Specific element Medial representation Guided Tour General arrangement Other * Multiple response format Deeper analysis of parts of the exhibition that visitors especially liked is represented in Table 12, with detailed specification of each of the above-mentioned categories. The most preferred type of media was films and videos, followed by a media cube that represented a special type of video. A comparatively considerable fraction of visitors said that they liked the island Food. The other top preferred thematic areas were the objects shelf (8.2%), flower garden and nature (3.9% each). Almost 5% of the interviewees highlighted a specific topic. Among the entire number of mentioned topics, the topic of atom tests collected the most number of votes (0.9%). The specific element that was recollected by the majority of visitors as the especially liked one was the citations, including the citation on the objects shelf that as mentioned earlier was the second most preferred thematic area of the exhibition. The satellite pictures located at the island Nature, the third most liked thematic area, were mentioned by 4.3% of the respondents as the especially liked element of the exhibition. As for the general arrangement and set-up of the exhibition, people mostly liked its grouping (5.6%), capability of clear view (2.6%), its diversity (1.7%) and general concept (1.7%). The specification of medial representation, guided tour and other comments left by the respondents are represented mostly by singly cases and listed in Table 12. Table 12. Specification of categories that visitors especially liked about the exhibition Especially liked about the exhibition Specific media Frequency* Percent* (n=163) Objects

17 Especially liked about the Frequency* Percent* exhibition (n=163) Media cube Films, videos Texts Pictures Audio Arts Thematic area Flower garden Shelf Evolution Food Nature Clock Humans&machines 7 3 Mobility Urbanization&Resources Specific topic Environment pollution Atom tests Further usage of materials Food of the future Food in different countries Water Electronic pollution because of job Death of bees Philosophy of technology Population development in China Specific element Citations Illustrations of size relationships Growing plants Personal computer Dogs Satellite pictures Tomatofish Toilet project Coral reef

18 Especially liked about the Frequency* Percent* exhibition (n=163) Robots Table with audio and video Shirts Shoes Model of under-water world Paper technique Flowers at the entrance Medial representation Variety of objects Variety of media Interactive Links to web pages Variety of videos Guided Tour Milled worms Tour General arrangement Diversity General concept Subdivision into zones Clear view Seizable, concrete Comprehensive information Inviting Striking Informative Other How the mankind has developed Practical recommendations Stimulating ideas Feasibility of future * Multiple response format 2.3. General liking and informational content of media For more sophisticated understanding of how the visitors perceived the media of the exhibition, the level of general liking and informational content of these media were measured. The respondents were asked to estimate how much they liked the media they were engaged with 17

19 at the exhibition and how informative they found these media, using a scale from 1 to 5 (1 not at all, 2 little, 3 partly, 4 quite, 5 very much). In general, the visitors liked the media presented at the exhibition. The respondents estimated them in the range of values between 3.91 and 4.32 (Table 13). The most liked type of media was the pictures, followed by the objects, scribble films and texts. The other media, such as the video and films at the media cube, artistic installations and audio stations, share the lowest positions of the most liked media. It is worth noticing that the level of liking was estimated by the overwhelming majority of respondents for each media. The frequencies of evaluation per media is fully presented in Appendix II (Tables 1-14). Table 13. Frequencies, mean and standard deviation of liking the media of the exhibition Media N M SD Objects Films, videos (media cube) Films, videos (scribble films) Texts Pictures Audio stations Artistic installations Comparison of the group of visitors that go to museums less than five times a year to the one that visits museums more than five times a year showed no significant difference in the level of liking of the presented media. The same result occurred when comparing the groups depending on the number of their visits the Deutsches Museum and groups depending on connection of the topic of the exhibition to their occupation, interests, or hobbies. However, the gender comparisons for the similar variable showed a significant difference in the values of liking the scribble films (T-Test: t(219)=-2.7, p<.05), audio stations (T-Test: t(185)=-3.7, p<.05) and the artistic installations (T-Test: t(230)=-3.2, p<.05). In general, the female audience liked these three media more than the male audience did. 18

20 Additionally to the level of liking, the informational content of the similar media was of importance and interest. In this respect, we asked the respondents how informative they found different media of the exhibition. The general level of informational content of media is estimated positively, following the pattern of estimation of the level of liking of the same media (Table 14). Table 14. Frequencies, mean and standard deviation of informational content of the media Media N M SD Objects Films, videos (media cube) Films, videos (scribble films) Texts Pictures Audio stations Artistic installations The respondents estimated the presented media in the range of values between 3.53 and As the most informative, the respondents estimated the texts, followed by the pictures that were estimated as the most liked type of media as well. The scribble films were rated almost as informative as the pictures, with just a small difference in the mean values. The videos and films of the media cube, as well as the audio stations were estimated as quite informative, even though these media appeared at the bottom of the list of the most liked media. The objects that were second liked media gained a low value of informational content. The least informative for the visitors were the artistic installations. The comparison of means of informational content for the groups of visitors than came for the first time and had been in the Deutsches Museum before showed no significant difference. The same holds true for the groups of visitors groups depending on connection of the topic of the exhibition to their occupation, interests, or hobbies. The only media that showed a significant difference between these groups in a one way ANOVA is the text (F(3,241)=3.35, p<.05). Posthoc comparisons using a Tukey test indicated that the mean score of those for whom the topic of the exhibition was connected to their hobbies (M=3, SD=1.73) was significantly different to the 19

21 mean score of those for whom the similar topic was connected to their interests (M=4.26, SD=0.75). The gender comparisons for the same variable showed a significant difference in the values of informational content of the texts (T-Test: t(243)=-2.03, p<.05), audio stations (T-Test: t(172)=-4.28, p<.05), and the artistic installations (T-Test: t(229)=-2.99, p<.05). In general, the female audience estimated the informational content of these three media higher than the male audience. Comparison of the group of visitors that go to museums less than five times a year to the one which visits museums more than five times a year showed no significant difference in the level of informational content for all presented media, except objects (T-Test: t(246)=-2.31, p<.05) and texts (T-Test: t(243)=-2.02, p<.05). These two types of media were more informative for the group of visitors than go to museums more than five times a year. The analysis of liking and informational content of the media showed that the exhibition left a positive impression on the visitors. The overwhelming majority of audience were engaged with the presented media, liked them and estimated as informative. Combination of closed and openended questions provided a wider overview and contributed to understanding the specific aspects of the exhibition that the visitors estimated as the liked one Motivational impact of an exhibition visit In order to evaluate motivational impact of the exhibition visit, it was examined if the visitors would plan to engage with the topic of the exhibition later on after their visit to the museum. First, the intention to engage unintentionally was evaluated through the following question: Do you think you would deal with any of the topics after visiting the exhibition, when you accidentally come across it, for instance, in a newspaper or on a TV program? If yes, is the visit of the exhibition a reason for that?. Table 15. Unintentional engagement with the topic of the exhibition and its interrelation to the exhibition visit Unintentional engagement Yes/No Frequency Percent (n=253) If yes: interrelation with the exhibition visit Frequency Percent (n=253) Valid % (n=226) Yes No Missing

22 As shown in Table 15, 90.5% of the respondents had an opinion that they would engage with the topics of the exhibition later on if they came across them spontaneously. Additionally it was asked if the planned engagement was due to the exhibition visit or independent of that. Here the overwhelming majority gave a positive answer, stating that their visit to the exhibition was a reason for possible engagement with the topic. Thus, the visit supports the visitors intention to deal with the topics of the exhibition in the future. This outcome points out at the good motivational impact of the exhibition. It is worth stating here though, that the unintentional engagement is not a strong criterion. Comparative analysis of the exhibitions shows that the fraction of those who planned to deal with the topic unintentionally and stated that the museum visit was a reason for that was higher than the fraction of the similar group at two other special exhibition (Graphic 5). Graphic 5 Unintentional engagement with the topics of special exhibitions and its interrelation to the exhibition visit 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Anthropocene Life with spare parts Climate Unintentional engagement Interrelation with the visit Intentional engagement represents a stronger and more meaningful criterion compared with unintentional spontaneous engagement. In this respect, the respondent were asked if they planned to deal with the topics of the exhibition, and if yes, if the visit of the exhibition was a reason for that. As follows from Table 16, the overwhelming majority of the interviewees would want to deal with the topics intentionally after their visit. Also 69.3% of those who confirmed their intention to engage into the topics intentionally stated that the reason for that was their visit to the exhibition. This outcome points out at the good motivational impact of the exhibition. It should be explained here though that this result shows only the respondents intentions, but not 21

23 their real future behavior in respect to the topics of the exhibition. Nevertheless, one can see that museums own a strong potential of motivating people for new knowledge. Table 16. Intentional engagement with the topic of the exhibition and its interrelation to the exhibition visit Intentional engagement Yes/No Frequency Percent (n=253) If yes: interrelation with the exhibition visit Frequency Percent (n=253) Valid % (n=176) Yes No Missing Comparative analysis of the exhibitions shows that the fraction of those who planned to deal with the topic intentionally and stated that the museum visit was a reason for that was higher than the fraction of the similar group at three other special exhibition (Graphic 6). These results show that the exhibition in question had a higher motivational impact on the visitors both in terms of their intentional and unintentional engagement with the topics of the exhibition and its interrelation with the exhibition visit compared with the motivational impact of other special exhibitions in the Deutsches Museum. Graphic 6. Intentional engagement with the topics of special exhibitions and its interrelation to the exhibition visit 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Anthropocene Life with spare parts Climate Yelow of an egg Intentional engagement Interrelation with the visit 22

24 The statistical analysis of interrelations between the further unintentional and international engagement with the topic and person s current interest in the topic shows a difference. The respondents that had current interest in the topic would engage with it again spontaneously in general and because of the exhibition visit. Equally, there is a statistically significant association between general intentional engagement and current interest: intentional engagement with the topic would occur for persons with current interest in the topic. However, there is no statistically significant association between interest and intentional engagement because of the visit. This means that people with and without interest in the topic would equally engage intentionally into the topic again because of their visit to the exhibition. The result shows that the intention to deal further intentionally with the topic of the exhibition was stimulated through the visit to the exhibition but was not pre-conditioned by person s current interest in the topic. 3. Engagement with the exhibition components 3.1. Engagement with the thematic areas of the exhibition In order to evaluate how intensively various thematic areas of the exhibition were used, the overview map of the exhibition with 4 point rating scale was developed (1: I did not see it 2: I saw it shortly when passing by 3: I partly dealt with it 4: I intensively dealt with it). The interviewees were asked to estimate their level of engagement with different parts of the exhibition and mark it on the map of the exhibition. The results are displayed in Table 17 as well as the overview map of the exhibition (Picture 1). Table 17. Frequency and percent of engagement with the thematic parts of the exhibition Thematic area I did not see it I saw it shortly I partly dealt with it I intensively dealt with it Missing Flower garden 13% (32) 58%(146) 19%(47) 11%(28) - Media cube 16%(40) 44%(110) 23%(58) 18%(45) - Objects shelf 4%(10) 30%(76) 34%(86) 28%(71) 4%(10) Urbanisation &Recources 7%(18) 28%(70) 36%(91) 29%(73) 0.4%(1) Mobility 9%(23) 30%(76) 39%(99) 22%(55) - Humans&Machines 10%(25) 29%(74) 36%(91) 25%(63) - Clock 45%(114) 25%(64) 18%(46) 10%(25) 1.6%(4) Nature 7%(18) 15%(39) 30%(76) 47%(119) 0.4%(1) Food 4%(9) 13%(32) 28%(70) 56%(142) - Evolution 5%(13) 26%(65) 42%(105) 27%(68) 0.8%(2) 23

25 Picture 1 The overview plan of the exhibition with percentage of engagement for its thematic areas CLOCK 1:45%; 2:25% 3:18%; 4:10% 1:10%; 2:29% 3:36%; 4:25% HUMANS& MASHINES NATURE 1:7%; 2:15% 3:30%; 4:47% 1:9%; 2:30% 3:39%; 4:22% MOBILITY FOOD 1:4%; 2:13% 3:28%; 4:56% 1:7%; 2:28% 3:36%; 4:29% URBANISATION &RESOURCES EVOLUTION 1:5%; 2:26% 3: 42%; 4:27% OBJECTS SHELF 1:4%; 2:30% 3:34%; 4:28% MEDIA CUBE 1:16%; 2:44%; 3:23%; 4:18% FLOWER GARDEN 1:13%; 2:58% 3:19%; 4:11% i ENTRANCE 1.I did not see it 2:I saw it shortly when passing by 3:I partly dealt with it 4:I intensively dealt with it The entrance area to the exhibition was represented by the media cube and the flower garden. Both of the parts of the exhibition were viewed either shortly when passing by or not all by the overwhelming majority of the respondents. This value of the intensively of engagement with the exhibition areas is one of the highest among all the other areas of the exhibition. 11% of the respondents intensively dealt with the area of the flower garden and 19% of them dealt with it partly. 18% of the interviewees had an intensive interaction with the media cube, and 23% of them partly dealt with it. The probable reason for a short interaction period with these two areas is that people usually do not stop by for a longer period of time as they enter the exhibition, and on the way back there is an element of fatigue that hinders a longer stay. Another reason of low viewing of the flower garden was the lack or low accessibility and visibility of instruction that led to the fact that majority of visitors treated the flower garden only as a decoration element of the exhibition that offered no interaction. 24

26 The next thematic area on the way of the visitors was the objects shelf, which was rated among one of the most liked areas of the exhibition. The overwhelming majority of the respondents shared that they dealt with it either partly (34%) or intensively (28%). Only 4% of the respondents said that they did not see the shelf, and around one third of them saw it shortly when passing by. The six thematic islands and the clock located behind the wall were rated very differently by the visitors. The third islands on the left side named Urbanisation&Resources, Mobility, and Humans&Machines were viewed by the visitors in a quite similar way. Around 60% of all the respondents said that they dealt either partly or intensively with each of the three islands. From 7% to 9% of the respondents did no see the islands, and from 28% to 30% of them saw them shortly when passing by. The next exhibit represented by the clock was viewed intensively by 10% and partly by 18% of the interviewees, thus getting the status of the least viewed thematic area of the exhibition. 45% of all the respondents did not see the clock, and one fourth of them saw it shortly when passing by. The reason for this low rating is probably the uniqueness of the object compared to other thematic areas represented mainly as islands, and the remoteness of the clock. Taking into account this result it could be advised to better arrange placement of the objects and manage the route of the visitors in the way that no exhibit is out of the view and is missed. The right-hand three islands gained the rating of the most viewed areas in the exhibition. The Nature island was examined intensively by 47% of the respondents, and around one third of them dealt with it partly. The satellite pictures rated as the most liked element of the whole exhibition was also located at this island. Only 7% of the respondents said that they did not see this island, and 15% saw if shortly when passing by. The most highly ranked in terms of viewing and liking was the Food island. More than half of the respondents engaged themselves intensively with the island, and 28% of them partly dealt with the island. The Evolution island was intensively examined by 27% and partly examined by 42% of the respondents. The coral reef located at this island was rated as the second most liked object of the whole exhibition. Only 5% of interviewees said that they did not see this part of the exhibition, and 26% of them saw it shortly when passing by. 3.2.Intensity of usage of different media In order to evaluate how intensively different media of the exhibition were used, the visitors were asked how intensively they dealt with these media during their tour on a scale from 1 to 5 (not at all-little-partly-quite-very much). 25

27 As shown in Graphic 7, the pictures are rated as the media that was used quite and very much by the overwhelming majority of visitors. The pictures are also the only type of media that all the interviewees engaged with. None of the visitors said that they did not deal with the pictures at all. In respect to the mean values, the pictures also score as the most intensively used, followed by the objects and the texts (Table 18). The scribble films and artistic installations equally estimated with the mean value of 3.19 lay in the range of partly and quite used media. The media cube and audio stations belong to the least used media of the exhibition, rated as the partly dealt with media. These two media were not used by the largest fraction of the respondents, namely 12,6% of all the respondents did not deal with the media cube at all, and 14,6% of them had no interaction with the audio stations. Graphic 7. Frequency of usage of different media 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Objects Media cube Scribble films Texts Pictures Audio stations Artistic installations not at all little partly quite very much The results of intensity of usage where the pictures, texts and objects were scored as the most intensively used media derive from the average shorter time needed to deal with these media, compared to audio, video and arts. Additionally to that it has to be mentioned that audio, video and arts constitute a smaller amount of exhibits overall in the exhibition compared to the more traditional objects, texts and pictures. The media that are less represented at the exhibition and require a longer interaction time were consequently scored as the least used by the interviewees. 26

28 Table 18. Intensity of usage of different media Media N M SD Objects Films, videos (media cube) Films, videos (scribble films) Texts Pictures Audio stations Artistic installations We also compared different groups of visitors in respect of intensity of media usage. The results yielded a difference in some groups. The gender comparisons showed that there is a statistically significant difference between intensity of usage of artistic installations (T-Test: t(244)=-3.3, p<.05) and audio stations (T-Test: t(248)=-4.4, p<.05). The female audience engaged more intensively with these two media compared to the male audience. A statistically significant difference occurred also in the group of first-time and frequent museum visitors. Those who visit museums more than five times a year dealt with the texts (T-Test: t(186)=-2.6, p<.05) and objects (T-Test: t(247)=-3.5, p<.05) more intensively that those who visit museums less than five times a year. Comparison in the three groups depending on the frequency of visits to the Deutsches Museum showed a statistically significant difference in the intensity of usage of texts (F(2,248)=3.06, p<.05). Post-hoc comparisons using a Tukey test indicated that those who have been to the Deutsches Museum from one to three times dealt with the texts less intensively (M=3.38, SD=1.02) than those who have been to the museum more than three times (M=3.81, SD=1.01). Comparison in the four groups depending on connection of the topics of the exhibition to their occupation, interests, or hobbies, showed a statistically significant difference in the intensity of usage of texts (F(3,248)=3.2, p<.05), objects (F(3,245)=3.5, p<.05), and pictures (F(3,245)=3.9, p<.05). ). Post-hoc comparisons using a Tukey test indicated that those for whom the topics of the exhibition were connected to their interests (M=3.66, SD=0.9) or occupation (M=3.75, SD=0.9) dealt more intensively with the objects compared to those for whom there was no connection at all (M=3.23, SD=0.9). The similar tendency occurred in respect of intensity of usage of texts between the group with connection to occupation (M=3.72, SD=1) and no connection at all (M=3.20, SD=1.2). The group of visitors for whom the topics of 27

29 the exhibition lied in the area of their interests (M=4.09, SD=0.8) engaged with the pictures more intensively than those for whom the topics represented their hobbies (M=3, SD=0). 4. Negative aspects of the exhibition One of the final questions the interviewees were asked concerned the aspects of the exhibition they did not like. This question provided a chance to express criticism, and only 11% (n=28) of the respondents specified what they did not liked about the exhibition. Regarding the specific parts or exhibits not liked at the exhibition, the interviewees mentioned the media cube and the flower garden most of all. Among the reasons for the dislike of the media cube they mentioned the blinking screens that caused stress and distraction and overload of information. The other parts of the exhibition the respondents pointed out as the ones they did not like were the coral reef, the island Humans&Machines and Mobility as the boring ones, and Evolution due to too uncritical presentation of the sea examples. Regarding the physical aspects of the exhibition, the most unliked one was the noise. The respondents specified that the noise coming from audio stations was distracting, or was too weak and it was hard to hear. Among the other physical aspects of the exhibition, the interviewees mentioned the inconvenience of the podiums, the unclear arrangement, that the general design was too white and it was not allowed to touch. Among the other aspects the visitors criticized was the overload with information, or that information was too soft. Few respondents pointed out that the introduction to the topic of the exhibition was too weak, that the entrance area did not explain the term well. Table 19. What did you not like about the exhibition at all? Did not like Frequency* Percent* (n=253) Flower garden Media cube 5 2 Coral reef Humans&Machines, Mobility Sea examples at Evolution The term was romanticized Better structuring of the texts Too much information