Curated polyrhythms at the museum of screen culture

Rethinking agency in digital museum experiences

Bibliographic Data

ID21600601
AuthorsEva Myrczik (0000-0002-4597-9836, University of Southern Denmark, corresponding author), Eva Pina Myrczik (University of Southern Denmark)
Year2026
Pages1-20
Publication date2026-04-13
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMuseum Management and Curatorship (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0964-7775 • E-ISSN: 1872-9185
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09647775.2026.2654870
OpenAlexW7154002546
LanguageEN
References cited27

This article develops a framework for understanding museums as curated polyrhythmic environments across physical and digital spaces by linking research on the mediatization of museums and mediated everyday life. Focusing on ACMI, Australia's national museum of screen culture, it examines how two digital exhibition devices mediate rhythms of movement, attention, and social interaction. Based on a study conducted in spring 2025, combining observations with visitor interviews, the paper explores how these devices shape engagement within different visitor dynamics. Lefebvrian rhythmanalysis provides the theoretical and methodological lens to connect institutional curation with embodied visitor practices. The concept of ‘curated polyrhythms’ is introduced to capture how curatorial strategies, digital affordances, and visitor practices converge to produce intersecting, and at times conflicting, rhythms. By theorizing how visitors navigate these, the article contributes to debates on digital mediation and curation, highlighting visitor agency and rethinking curatorial authority in digitally mediated environments

Digital culture · Museum informatics · Photography · Artistic and Creative Research · Digital and Traditional Archives Management · Museology · Museums and Cultural Heritage

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Open DOIOpen Access