Blocked

My assessment (a research poster) is due on Friday. However, the final date that reprographics can print it is Tuesday. So that probably is my final deadline. I’ve noticed I’m blogging more, it is probably down to a mixture of EdublogsClub and that in times of assignments I throw myself headfirst into distractions.

Originally I wanted to write about use of space, particularly transitional spaces. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to say about them but I thought they could be a great place to start building inclusive and accessible practice. The transitional space is a place of physical connection, so would it be a good place for artistic connection? Also, from a political viewpoint, I am interested in the occupation and/or reclamation of contested spaces (so I love things like place hacking and guerrilla gardening).

Transitional spaces and contested spaces may not seem similar initially but I’ve had some thoughts on how they might feel similar to some folk.

  • Accessibility – is the transitional space actually physically accessible for all people?
  • Where is it going to? Is the transitional space en route to a safe(r) space?
  • Inclusivity – do people feel welcome in the space? Safe?
  • Ownership – if it is in or en route to a public space, do people actually feel like they belong? And that they have a say in how it works/runs…
  • Participation – do folk feel like the space is theirs? And they are free to experiment in it?

As you can see, there’s loads to unpack and I don’t have the vocabulary for it yet!

But then I wondered what kind of space would be great for experimentation? And I thought about virtual spaces!!! Honestly, most of you are probably surprised I didn’t think of this sooner because it is my area of interest. I had forgotten about virtual spaces as I had spent a week inhabiting a physical space and I was trying to analyse how it was impacting my behaviour and thoughts.

I don’t want to say the art world has not embraced virtual reality as a medium because that’s not true. There are artists working in this field (like Tale of Tales who I love dearly and you can read about their latest project Cathedral in the Clouds here). But I’m struggling to find much VR in museums. I’m also struggling to get to museums because of financial issues. So there may be a big world out there will of virtual reality exhibits that I can’t access right now. There may also be a big world in here (online) that I can’t access because I don’t have a working PC or compatible mobile devices or I am just unable to find through all the hubbub of internet life.

I started looking at way museums are using digital technology, digital engagement and gamification. Most of what I found was very snazzy (great for publicity) and did a good job of helping people learn about exhibitions/history through play. But I hoped to find more feedback about the camaraderie side of this type of engagement. Mainly, does it exist? Or is it all isolated players? I’m still trying to find that out. I personally enjoy collaborating with strangers online and I do feel that the very act of making something together is a form of communication – but do other people see it that way? Does it matter if they do?

For various reasons I decided to primarily focus on one thing. Yep. Minecraft. Incidentally, if you’re interested in how Minecraft could be used in University of Brighton follow the Minecraft blog I share with the Elearning team – it’s blogs.brighton.ac.uk/minecraft – we are still at the very early focus group stage. So if you have ideas, get in touch!

The reason I’m looking at Minecraft is because the Tate, the British Museum and the Museum of London have all worked with Minecraft. Minecraft is also being increasingly used in schools (more so now Minecraft Education Edition is currently free) and researchers are looking at how it complements learning.

TateWorlds
Tate Worlds was the first Minecraft in a museum project that I heard of. There are currently five maps:

The Toy Shop is my personal favourite. Mainly because it reminds me of the Wizard’s Attic in Hove Museum. When I first went to the Wizard’s Attic I thought about how it would be a great environment to explore using digital technology. I think The Toy Shop gives the player a different perspective of the art work – of course, it’s not as detailed but it’s interesting to see things from behind the scenes or from a different angle. The way the users interact with the map can encourage them to analyse what they like, what they dislike, what they would change, what they can change, why they think the work is engaging or not. Having a virtual world that they can build, rebuild, demolish and share does more than allow them just to respond – they also have agency in this world.

Museumcraft
Museumcraft is a community rebuilding the British Museum like-for-like in Minecraft. I am interested in this project as I think it could be a great tool when it’s completed for people who haven’t physically been in the museum before. It would be interesting to hear feedback from people who explored the museum in Minecraft before they went into the museum – did it help them navigate? Did it decrease anxiety of an unfamiliar environment? How did it feel being in an environment that they had only previously experienced in a virtual world? I also think the completed map would be a great tool to collect feedback – people could respond to the layout of the museum, they could build their own structures in the museum. (You see, this is kinda linked to my original transitional spaces idea).

Great Fire 1666
The Great Fire 1666 series of Minecraft maps are recent news to me (I only found out about them last week) but from my shallow research I can see them being used as a learning aid. In terms of the subject matter, I think Minecraft allows the users to see the movement of the fire and experience it in a more immersive way than a documentary/film/animation would do (because users can interact with the content). Due to the low detail on the blocks, I think the virtual world looks unreal enough that the viewer would not be overwhelmed by the fire. There are also some challenges within the world (the player can help try to put out the fire) so they can feel part of the narrative as well. The third map is yet to be released but I hope it will allow users to rebuild London however they would like it to be rebuilt.

The Future

Also – I apologise for jumping around from second to third person – I tried to stay in one place but I may have missed it at times.

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