8 DECEMBER 1999
HANDLING ACTIVITY: VICTORIAN MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES
PROTOTYPING RESEARCH REPORT 20
Dates of evaluation: Observation: 16 November 1999; Interviews: 22 November 1999
Brief for evaluation
For the British Galleries, the Museum is planning a number of handling activities that all
have slightly different requirements. Building on the research already carried out in the
Silver Gallery Discovery Area, evaluation of the Victorian materials and techniques
handling collection will establish some general principles for the other handling
collections, and also for touch objects. The Victorian handling collection includes a range
of different materials, including whole objects and fragments. Fixing methods for
handling collections, including sherds will be tested at a later date. This piece of research
will concentrate on:
• How to ensure that visitors use handling objects - visitors can be unsure about whether
they are allowed to touch.
• What information needs to be provided so that visitors get the most out of handling
collections.
Description of prototype and testing situation
A round table was set up in the Best of British Gallery. A sign in the centre of the table
read ‘Please Touch. See what you can find out about the objects on the table by touching
and examining them closely’. The following seven objects were placed on a table: sample
of jacquard weaving encased in flexible plastic; sample of traditional handloom weaving
encased in flexible plastic; cut glass jug; pressed glass jug; papier mâché crumb tray;
electroplated tankard; and an electrotype cup. Issues to do with the use of textiles for
handling need further resolution; the use of plastic to enclose textiles from the collections
was a provisional solution that the Museum wished to test. Each object had a small label
beside it which named the object, indicated characteristics to feel or look for and gave
one or two sentences of comment.
Visitors to the gallery were observed over a three-hour period. They were recorded in the
following categories : striders (using gallery as a corridor); browsers (moving slowly
through gallery attending to displays); people who stopped and looked (at the Victorian
Handling activity); and participants (those who touched or picked up objects on the
table). The items picked up or touched were also recorded.
For the interviews, visitors were invited to participate in the handling activity and to
answer a few questions when they had had enough. The interviews were framed around
the following questions:
• Did touching things help you to attend more closely to them than you would have if you
only looked at them?
• What did you find out from touching which you don’t think you would have got
otherwise?
• Were the instructions and explanations helpful?
• How could we improve this activity for you?
• Any reason for not picking up any of the objects?
The interviews took place over a three hour period during which two interviewers worked
for most of the time while a third invited visitors to participate. This arrangement came
about because of the need for security of the objects and the use of the testing situation
for interview training. The high level of staff in the gallery seemed to encourage heavy
use of the activity - when people saw others handling objects they joined in and the
interviewers were kept busy.
Description of sample
Observations
12 participants
Number of people
Male = 4
Gender
Female = 8
Under 25 yrs = 2
Age
25-34 yrs = 6
35-44 yrs = 1
45-54 yrs = 3
55 plus yrs = 0
(estimates)
English as first language N.A.
Interviews
28
Male = 13
Female = 15
Under 25 yrs = 4
25-34 yrs = 1
35-44 yrs = 4
45-54 yrs = 4
55 plus yrs = 15
Yes = 18
No = 10
Interviewed visitors were from : UK (12); USA (7); France (4); Japan (2) and one each
from Austria, Belgium and Italy.
Findings relating to brief
How to ensure that visitors use the handling objects
Information from observations
Movement through the Best of British Gallery during the three-hour period of
observation was as follows:
• striders = 9
• browsers = 18
• people who stopped and looked = 16
• participants =12
Combined, the last two categories contain the same number of visitors as were
interviewed over a three-hour period. People who stop and look are potential participants
who might participate with encouragement.
The twelve participants both touched and picked up items (as requested by the central
notice). The frequency of touching and picking up of particular items is shown in the
table below.
Object
Pressed glass
Cut glass
Electroplated tankard
Electrotype cup
Jacquard weaving in plastic
Handloom weaving in
plastic
Papier mâché crumb tray
No. of people who
touched
3
2
1
0
0
0
No. of people who picked
up
3
4
6
5
3
4
0
4
There were no significant differences between objects when it came to picking them up.
This suggests that a wide range of object types appeals if it is possible to pick them up.
There were only three objects that visitors touched without picking up. However, with
such a small sample it is not possible to draw any firm conclusions about this. It may be
that people picked up object simply because it was possible to do so, and that if it were
not possible they would have touched them.
A variety of different types of handling behaviour was observed. Only one visitor
handled all the objects. One other handled six out of seven. Most (eight) handled between
two and four objects. This suggests that a smaller number of objects could be considered
handling collections.
Information from interviews
Six visitors gave reasons for not picking up items. They were:
• dislike of the plastic covering over fabrics (2)
• regarding value (not museum objects so not valuable and would not want to pick up
valuable things) (2)
• natural clumsiness (1)
• the descriptions on labels seemed self-explanatory (1)
Fourteen visitors made suggestions for improvement of the activity when asked by the
interviewer. The categories and frequency of responses were as follows:
• provide a wider range of things for comparisons/provide more things (5)
• provide modelled items e.g. sculpture, carvings, figures (4)
• allow touching of fabrics/improve fabric covering (4)
• more costly things/differing monetary values (2)
• give some social history (2)
• have some marble (1)
• provide more space (1)
What information will help visitors to get the most out of the activity?
When visitors were asked what they found out from touching things that they would not
have found out otherwise, their responses feel into the following categories:
• the feel to the touch /roughness (12 responses)
• the weight (11 )
• how item was made/the technology (5)
• appearance on close looking (3)
• ability to make comparisons (2)
• maker’s marks (1)
• imperfections (1)
• temperature to touch (1)
• the materials (1)
• shape (1)
• craftsmanship (1)
Visitor responses to ‘What did you find out? query.
1. The light weight of the papier mâché.
2. American cut glass is heavier than your cut glass and deeper cut.
3. I compared the weights of the papier mâché and a metal object.
4. The tankard is light.
5. How rough the urn was inside (2 visitors).
6. The lightness of the papier mâché (2 visitors).
7. How things were made (2 visitors).
8. I saw the maker’s marks.
9. The imperfections.
10. The technological thinking behind the designs.
11. How things feel to the touch.
12. Their temperature.
13. I saw the things mentioned on the labels.
14. Weights (3 visitors).
15. Textures.
16. It’s good for comparisons.
17. How the jacquard machine saved thread - saved money.
18. The feel of the surfaces.
19. The texture of silver.
20. About papier mâché.
21. How things feel inside.
22. I understand the weights.
23. I understand the sharpness of glass.
24. I saw the back of the materials (2 visitors).
25. I felt the shapes - I like the ball feet on the silver.
26. I found out the difference between cut and pressed glass.
27. The tray was lighter than I expected.
28. Understood the craftsmanship.
29. How light things are.
30. The touch of glass.
31. The structure of the weaving.
32. You could bring the fabric close to your eye.
33. The feel of cut and pressed glass.
Interpretation
How to ensure that visitors use the handling collection
The observations appear to indicate that there are no particular reasons behind selection
behaviour. It should be noted that paired items, e.g. the two glass jugs, did not always get
equal attention.
The interview responses indicated that visitors could be encouraged by:
• more open instructions that encourage people to explore the objects as well as suggest
specific things to look and feel (on the grounds that visitors will only do what is
instructed, so if more open exploration is desired then that has to be made explicit)
• providing fabric samples that are not encased in plastic to allow the fabric itself to be
handled
• providing a wider range of objects to handle, although observation showed that most
visitors did not handle all the objects provided so this finding needs to be treated with
caution as it appears to be an example of visitors saying one thing and doing another
• providing a wider range of materials to handle
• providing objects with deep relief patterns on their surfaces
What information will help the visitors to get the most out of the activity?
The information provided appeared to be effective in prompting visitors to notice tactile
features of the objects, judging by responses when visitors were asked what they found
out. These responses also demonstrate the importance of handling (including touching
and picking things up) as a means of understanding objects.
Evaluator’s recommendations
Recommendations for this particular device
• This is an excellent learning activity which people enjoy very much indeed. However,
re-testing will be needed in order to complete its full development.
• Suitable fabric samples need to be provided that can be touched, i.e. not encased in
plastic.
• It may not be necessary to have ‘pairs’ for contrasts, as visitors did not appear to pick
up on these.
Recommendations for other devices in the series
• Texts should not over-prescribe visitors’ actions and should leave the visitor feeling that
there is room for independent exploration. Visitor’s comments about what they had
learned often reflected fairly exactly what they had been instructed to look for. It
would be interesting to re-test the activity with very minimal and open instructions to
see what they noticed.
• Review the range of handling collections across the British Galleries to see whether
there is a good variety of different types of object and materials.
• The fixings for handling collections are currently being discussed. However, it is felt to
be desirable in many cases for it to be possible to pick objects up rather than having
them fixed down. The research on the Victorian handling collection shows that
surprises such as unexpected lightness or heaviness have impact for objects that can
be picked up. The other collections in the handling series should be assessed to see if
things like this have been included.
Actions
• The activity will be re-tested with more open instructions in March 2000.
• It should be possible to handle all objects properly. Textiles encased in plastic are not
what is needed for handling activities. Real textiles of the period will be acquired
specifically for handling purposes.