---
_id: '13241'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Lighting in museums is crucial for showcasing exhibits while controlling light
exposure to protect sensitive artworks. But what about enhancing the visitor experience,
especially for the visually impaired? This research began with extensive desktop
studies and evolved through collaboration between TH-OWL University in Detmold,
Germany, who specialize in perception and spatial effects at the Institute for
Design Strategies (IDS) and Buro Happold, integrated consulting engineers and
advisors. Our partners include Sentistic, a startup providing sensors for anonymous
space usage data, and Zumtobel, which supplied professional lighting equipment
for our tests. We tested our hypotheses during a temporary exhibition on inclusion
at DASA in Dortmund, Germany. The exhibition, titled “Respekt,” runs from May
2024 to February 2025. Our field study was divided into two phases to compare
and assess lighting in different settings. The first phase used the museum’s standard
lighting, while the second employed Zumtobel’s equipment to create a more balanced
lighting scenario. Each phase lasted about one month. Our research utilized quantitative
methods (photo surveys with 360° HDR imaging, statistical space usage data, and
on-site light reflection measurements) and qualitative methods (interviews with
visually impaired visitors and on-site observations). We gained significant insights
from this initial study, which we aim to share with the museum community. We hope
to engage more institutions in exploring how their spaces and exhibitions can
better serve special visitors. While our focus began with the visually impaired,
many other areas of inclusion remain to be researched. Our robust methodology
can be applied to further studies in this field.
author:
- first_name: Ulrich
full_name: Nether, Ulrich
id: '27292'
last_name: Nether
orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4877-1691
- first_name: Paula
full_name: Longato, Paula
last_name: Longato
citation:
ama: 'Nether U, Longato P. Research Lighting and Inclusion: How Can Lighting
Create a Better Museum Experience for the Visually Impaired?; 2024. doi:10.18848/978-1-963049-86-2/CGP'
apa: 'Nether, U., & Longato, P. (2024). Research Lighting and Inclusion: How
Can Lighting Create a Better Museum Experience for the Visually Impaired? In Seventeenth
International Conference on the Inclusive Museum Conference Proceedings. Seventeenth
International Conference on the Inclusive Museum, Wien. https://doi.org/10.18848/978-1-963049-86-2/CGP'
bjps: 'Nether U and Longato P (2024) Research Lighting and Inclusion:
How Can Lighting Create a Better Museum Experience for the Visually Impaired?
.'
chicago: 'Nether, Ulrich, and Paula Longato. Research Lighting and Inclusion:
How Can Lighting Create a Better Museum Experience for the Visually Impaired?
Seventeenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum Conference Proceedings,
2024. https://doi.org/10.18848/978-1-963049-86-2/CGP.'
chicago-de: 'Nether, Ulrich und Paula Longato. 2024. Research Lighting and Inclusion:
How Can Lighting Create a Better Museum Experience for the Visually Impaired?
Seventeenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum Conference Proceedings.
doi:10.18848/978-1-963049-86-2/CGP,
.'
din1505-2-1: 'Nether, Ulrich ; Longato, Paula: Research Lighting and
Inclusion: How Can Lighting Create a Better Museum Experience for the Visually
Impaired?, 2024'
havard: 'U. Nether, P. Longato, Research Lighting and Inclusion: How Can Lighting
Create a Better Museum Experience for the Visually Impaired?, 2024.'
ieee: 'U. Nether and P. Longato, Research Lighting and Inclusion: How Can Lighting
Create a Better Museum Experience for the Visually Impaired? 2024. doi: 10.18848/978-1-963049-86-2/CGP.'
mla: 'Nether, Ulrich, and Paula Longato. “Research Lighting and Inclusion: How Can
Lighting Create a Better Museum Experience for the Visually Impaired?” Seventeenth
International Conference on the Inclusive Museum Conference Proceedings, 2024,
https://doi.org/10.18848/978-1-963049-86-2/CGP.'
short: 'U. Nether, P. Longato, Research Lighting and Inclusion: How Can Lighting
Create a Better Museum Experience for the Visually Impaired?, 2024.'
ufg: 'Nether, Ulrich/Longato, Paula: Research Lighting and Inclusion: How
Can Lighting Create a Better Museum Experience for the Visually Impaired?, o. O.
2024.'
van: 'Nether U, Longato P. Research Lighting and Inclusion: How Can Lighting Create
a Better Museum Experience for the Visually Impaired? Seventeenth International
Conference on the Inclusive Museum Conference Proceedings. 2024.'
conference:
end_date: 2024-09-15
location: Wien
name: Seventeenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum
start_date: 2024-09-13
date_created: 2025-10-05T19:31:37Z
date_updated: 2025-10-06T13:00:39Z
department:
- _id: DEP1055
- _id: DEP1000
doi: 10.18848/978-1-963049-86-2/CGP
language:
- iso: eng
publication: Seventeenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum Conference
Proceedings
publication_identifier:
eisbn:
- '978-1-963049-86-2 '
isbn:
- 978-1-963049-87-9
publication_status: published
status: public
title: 'Research Lighting and Inclusion: How Can Lighting Create a Better Museum Experience
for the Visually Impaired?'
type: conference_speech
user_id: '83781'
year: '2024'
...