Preliminary exploration of multisensory experiences in museums: a phenomenological perspective

Multisensory experiences challenge the ocularcentrism of traditional exhibitions, offering a more inclusive and accessible mode of visitor engagement. Phenomenology provides a philosophical approach to inspire how museum objects and environments should be presented to enhance visitors’ experiences by emphasizing multisensory activations. This paper, based on phenomenological principles and exhibition cases featuring sensory activations, provides a curatorial workflow, design prototype, and potential strategies to foster multisensory experiences in museums. In short, the nonlinear thematic framework and dynamic display design help strengthen visitors’ spatial perceptions and decision-making consciousness, accommodating diverse intentionality-based environmental cues that activate multiple senses. Integrating natural and mediator-based sensory-activated interactions can enhance multisensory experiences by stimulating embodied perception and mental engagement. Adapting these curatorial approaches to creating new exhibitions and transforming existing exhibitions yields constructive and systematic influences on appealing to diverse visitors and brings them unprecedented museum experiences. Additionally, museums need to acknowledge open challenges due to the complexity of sensory experiences, the demands for specialized knowledge in sensory-related fields and emerging technologies, and the risks from new types of museum fatigue caused by sensory overload and digital burnout.