Department: Visitor Communications
Hosts: Jayne Herringshaw, Head of Visitor Communications, Public and Internal Communications, and Renata Smialek, Head of Visitor Communications, Onsite Communications
The landscape of museum visitor experiences is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by emerging technologies and shifting societal priorities. Madhushree’s research provided an overview of the digital landscape in museums, with a specific focus on Tate, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges in creating a seamless, digitally enhanced visitor experience.
Madhushree conducted research through an extensive process that included an evaluation of other cultural spaces, mapping existing Tate digital experiences, surveying Tate’s Front of House team, convening a workshop with Tate Collective Producers and carrying out visitor on-site journey mapping.
Madhushree Kamak providing a walkthrough of CARBON (2023) at the Science Gallery Bengaluru. Science Gallery Bengaluru.
In her final internal report, Hacking the Museum: Exploring the Role of Emerging Technologies for Visitor Experience at Tate, Madhushree made recommendations for Tate’s digital future.
Madhushree went on to publish Hacking the Museum: Tensions around Technology in the Gallery, exploring how existing museums can compete against the commercialisation of experience that borders on entertainment while maintaining their integrity and cultural mission.
Biography
Madhushree Kamak is an art-science curator and information experience designer. Her practice focuses on curating and designing interdisciplinary exhibitions and public engagement programmes at the interface of art, science, technology and culture.
After completing her first Masters by Research in Biological Sciences from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, Madhushree completed her Masters in Information Design from the National Institute of Design, Mumbai, focusing on exhibitions as a means of public engagement with science.
She was the Head of Exhibitions and Programmes at Science Gallery Bengaluru (SGB) where she developed several contemporary art-science exhibition-seasons, learning and mentorship programmes for young adults, community, offsite and digital initiatives, and pop-up exhibitions including – ELEMENTS (2019), SUBMERGE (2020), PHYTOPIA (2020), CONTAGION (2021), PSYCHE (2022) and CARBON (2023). CONTAGION was also one of the winners of the Falling Walls Prize for Breakthroughs in Science Engagement in 2021.
Madhushree was a part of the Berlin Biennale Curators Programme 2022, a Khoj Curatorial Intensive South Asia Fellow 2021 and a member of the Ars Electronica Creative Producers Programme 2021. She also developed the Xperimenter Programme, a learning and mentorship programme at SGB that was 2022 finalist at Falling Walls Berlin in the Future Learning category.