Museum Exhibitions and Suspense
takes insights from screenwriting to revolutionise our understanding of exhibition curating.
Despite all genuine efforts to reach broader audiences, museums persistently fear riskingtheir credibility by becoming ‘too popular’. Thus, the enormous potential to learn from other storytelling forms more experienced in the field of entertainment remains essentially unexploited.
unlocks this creative potential. A comparative in-depth analysis of three classical Hollywood films and three cultural historical exhibitions demonstrates how
dramatic
suspense techniques can be applied to exhibitions. These techniques must be adapted to the typical
epic
character of the exhibition medium. By differentiating between
mild
and
wild
suspense the book provides a new understanding of the nature of suspense itself.
Museum Exhibitions and Suspense addresses academics and students in the fields of museum studies, gallery studies and heritage studies interested in how exhibitions function and in how to achieve dramaturgical effects like suspense. It also appeals to scholars and students within film studies who want to gain a deeper understanding of suspense. It provides an important resource for curators and other museum practitioners and scriptwriters who intend to create stories with a wide audience appeal.